It's Been Crazy
by Lily Makissik
Summary: Lily Evans and James Potter do get married and have Harry as their first and only child, but did you ever wonder what happened outside of Snape's memory? The story gets fluffier with more smut in the later chapters. (This is my version of Jily and I hope you like it:D)
1. Surrounded by Idiots

**Seventh Year**

Lily whirled around to find a smirking boy with black, messy hair and rectangular glasses that sat comfortably on the bridge of his nose. With a grin plastered on his face, he watched her intently as her anger boiled from her ears to her nose. "And don't look at me like you're so oblivious! Are you even listening to me, James?" she shrieked and his eyes widened, glistening with fascination.

"Why, of course, my dear Lily pad. Why wouldn't I be listening?" he replied smoothly. Her eyes flickered as her mind thought of all the insults and retorts she could come up with but she decided to make him talk."Then what was I just talking about?" she asked, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.

James's smile faded. "Um... Dungbombs?"

Lily just glared at him. "Patrols! You forgot yesterday! I had to patrol the entire school on my own. I think I've asked you this question a hundred times but now that I have your attention... Where in Merlin's soggy, crimson trousers were you?!"

"Soggy, crimson trousers? That's new," he joked but she sent him a deathly glare. "You didn't remind me so I didn't remember. See? That was your fault!" She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to argue but he already knew what she was going to say. "I was out with Sirius. He and I were just messing around."

"Well, no more! This year, you really have to step up your game since you have been named Head Boy. Got it?"

James nodded sullenly and turned to walk away. "Nope!" He teased with a smile. He had always enjoyed annoying her, and today was no different.

"James! What time are you going to be at Professor Dumbledore's office tonight?" she called after him.

"Six o'clock! I got it, I got it," he answered over his shoulder and turned the corner.

"That boy, I swear..." Lily murmured.

It was their seventh year at Hogwarts and Lily was finally getting adjusted to James's silly semantics. But James was maturing and that's all she had asked for since her fourth year. She still remembered the day when she stood up to him and officially encountered his bullying ways. Although she hated them, she liked the challenge of a good argument because she usually won. During their seventh year, they only argued about patrols and dates. She always denied his dates but he still asked her for fear he would lose her to some other bloke.

In the midst of Lily's thinking, Marlene, Lily's best friend, snuck up behind her just as she had turned around. "You swear you're going to marry him?"

Lily jumped in surprise and turned angrily. "Don't _do_ that to me!" She huffed.

"Well, what I say is true. You're going to finally say yes to a date with him, marry him, and have the cutest child! Aw! Just like Frank and Alice! Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom!" Marlene swooned.

"It's just Alice Prewett and Frank Longbottom for now," Lily corrected. "And I'm not marrying that arrogant toerag."

Marlene just nodded profusely as she started skipping away. "James and Lily, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love! Then comes marriage! Then comes a baby in a baby carriage!"

"You're a blithering idiot!" Lily called after her friend but she was long gone. "Bloody annoying, if you ask me!"

Just when Lily thought Marlene was gone, she popped out from behind a pillar on the opposite side of the corridor and hissed. "I will get you to confess! Even if it's the last thing I do!"

Lily looked over, a bit surprised, and stuck her tongue out. "Confess to what? About how much of a tosser are you?"

"LILY EVANS FANCIES JAMES POTTER AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT!" She screeched. Lily hushed her, but it was too late. Over half of the school heard her.

"Really, Marly?" she hissed and Marlene shrugged.

Running towards the nearest exit, she waved with a great, big grin on her face. "See ya!"

"Some days are just not my days..." Lily sighed.

James, having heard most of the conversation since he was only a corridor over, was relieved at the fact that Lily didn't deny too much. Then he started thinking that it was a bad thing she wasn't denying too much because she would want to cover it up a whole lot more if she really did fancy him. He shrugged and decided not to worry about it. He knew he was going to get her, no matter what.


	2. Just Kids

**First Year**

Lily gazed up at Marlene and laughed. "There's no way-" Marlene contradicted Lily's doubts by kicking into the air and flying around on her broom. She gasped in astonishment as her friend showed off.

"I see you've got a nice kick off," James said and flew over to them. Marlene sighed and landed while James followed suit.

"Hey! You're that kid from the train! Didn't you have friends with you?" Lily asked and Sirius came running up to them.

"Wait up!"

"This is Sirius. He was with me on the train," James nodded towards his friend. Sirius waved with a grin on his face as he winked at Marlene. Marlene just nodded slightly before turning to walk towards the school.

"Come on, Lily." She pulled Lily from the two boys. "There is no place for smelly boys like yourselves in our business."

Sirius grinned at James before running after her. "Marlene, is it? Give us a try!"

Lily smiled but Marlene wasn't buying it. "Oh sod off, you smelly brute!"

"Why do you keep calling us smelly? I think we smell quite good!" Sirius looked back at James, who just gave him an optimistic thumbs up. Marlene rolled her eyes and turned to face him.

"What's it matter? You're just another first year, looking to flirt with every girl you see in sight."

Sirius frowned. "I don't think you should assume so quickly."

"My mother always says that boys are smelly and gross! She hasn't been wrong yet. She also says that I should ignore boys like you. So I am ignoring you," She retorted before dragging Lily into the castle after her.

Sirius started to follow them but James called after him. "Not today."

"That Marlene girl... She's quite the gal!" He said and his friend just smiled.

"Yeah, I guess," James lied and Sirius laughed sarcastically.

"Lily? Lily Evans?" he threw his arm over his friend's shoulder. "She's not your type!"

James shook his head. "Didn't you see those third years? Why would I be looking at Lily when we have some hotties to look at over there," he pointed at a group of girls who passed by them and were exclaiming how cute the two boys were.

"Remus would love that one," Sirius added, pointing at the girl who was reading and not paying any attention to any of her surroundings.

James watched with hasty eyes. "I love girls. You know, I wonder what Peter's type is..."


	3. Stubborn is a Better Name

**Seventh Year**

Lily waved goodbye to Professor Dumbledore and stood outside his office for a few minutes. She waited patiently, but there was so sign of James anywhere. "I SWEAR, IF YOU'RE LATE AGAIN-" she screeched into the darkness but decided to start on the patrols so she could get them over with. She pulled out a book and began studying for a quiz that was in a week.

James quietly walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder at the book she was reading. "You called?" He laughed when she jumped. "Did I actually scare you, Lily?"

She caught her breath and turned to look at him. "Merlin, James!" Even though she wanted to punch him, she couldn't help from laughing.

"What's so funny?" He chuckled and she looked up at him.

"I didn't think you'd come," she said coolly and looked back at her book."Now that you're here, let's get started."

The two Heads patrolled the corridors with talking here and there. James mainly stared blankly at the walls as usual while Lily studied her arse off for a mini quiz that wouldn't happen for a month. Wands lit, they made sure the people in the pictures were going to bed without much difficulty.

"Goodnight, Headmaster," Lily murmured to a large man in a majestic frame by the kitchens. He nodded gratefully and James glared.

"Why are you so nice to that fat oaf?" He growled under his breath.

Lily looked over at the sleeping Headmaster and turned the corner. "He is a kind, old man. You have to get to know people, James."

He scoffed. "I'm glad I didn't go here when he was alive. I'd have to get to know him _and _respect him. I could never bring myself to do that."

"Just because he calls you out on things," she added and he rolled his eyes. "Well, it's not my fault you played a prank on someone _right in front of him._ Of course he's never going to let that down. He's a headmaster. Well, _was_."

"Can we get this over with?" He said. Lily laughed and he smiled. He loved seeing her smile. He especially adored her cute laugh that she had when she was tired. She always laughed like that on their night patrols.

"Let's head back. I think the common room will be empty enough to study," she finally said and they headed up the nearest staircase.

James chuckled. "You're always studying... Hey, I've been meaning to ask you what your plans were for this weekend. We could-"

"No, James. You know I'm studying for the test next week," she said and he nodded.

"I know! I could help you study and we could study together so it is one big study fest! It will be called, 'Why are We Studying On a Weekend When We Could Be Doing Fun Things?'!"

Lily giggled and shook her head. "Sorry, James. Plus, the weekend is too far away. Today's only Wednesday."

"Yeah, it's so we have enough time to plan ahead for this spectacular date!" He exclaimed.

"You know I never plan for weekends until Thursday or Friday. My only plan at the moment is to study. Plus, Marlene, Alice, and Mary all want to hangout with me sometime," she sighed wearily.

"Come on, Lils. One date."

She stayed true to her word and shook her head once more. "No thank you."

"But Lily-"

"No. You know the answer better me."

He sighed and nodded as she whispered the password and entered the common room through the portrait door.

"You're one stubborn girl."


	4. A Formal Meeting

**First Year**

"I don't think we have formally met," James sat down next to Marlene and held out his hand for her to shake.

Marlene looked down at his hand like he had a disease and slid down on the bench a little, away from him. "That's because I already know who you are."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Is my name getting around that fast?"

"Arrogant_ is_ a good word to describe you. Snog any girls recently?" She retorted. James frowned at her dislike for him. He hadn't really met a girl who didn't like him yet until then.

"Ouch... Well anyway, I knew I had met Lily from the train and she talked about you a bit so I tried to talk to you. But that didn't really go as planned, seeing as you insulted Sirius and I before leaving in a huff." He pointed towards Sirius, who was chowing down on three plates of chicken. "I'm James," he held out his hand again, his hand a little closer to Marlene this time.

She turned her shoulder so she was facing her food straight on this time and James scowled. "You boys really think you can strut around like you own the place."

"Don't be so rude, Marly," Lily said as she sat down beside her. With Lily in between the two feuding first years, James found it slightly difficult to argue with Marlene any longer.

"I think I lost my appetite," Marlene hissed and stood up from her food. "Nice to meet you, I guess."

Lily looked at James and shrugged apologetically. "Marly hates being showed up by boys. She's still angry from when a boy decided to show her up on the train a week ago. She lost in a game of cards. 'Go Fish' was the game, I think."

James eyed Lily curiously and she giggled.

"I forgot... You're not a muggle... It's just a game muggles play for fun!"

He nodded slowly as if to show his understanding but he was still puzzled by the fact that muggles would name a game 'Go Fish.' It was a rather peculiar name. "Well tell Marlene sorry if I said anything to upset her."

"I will," she said. James watched her run over to Marlene, who was waiting patiently for her, and they left the Great Hall together.

"Don't mind Marlene, mate. She did that to me this morning," Sirius said as he took Lily's spot.

Peter sat across from the two boys and grinned. "So what do we have planned?"

Remus plopped into the seat next to Peter and sighed. "Another? We did three pranks alone this morning, already!"

"So I have this one in mind..." James whispered, ignoring his flabbergasted friend.

Marlene turned to her friend as they skipped up the steps to the common room. "You know they're no good."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"They constantly prank students and I'm pretty sure three fifth years ended up in the Hospital Wing because of them."

Lily gave the password and entered the common room with a smile. "I think you're just making things up again..."

"Look, Lily. I wouldn't lie to you about this. Maybe you should see for yourself?" Marlene offered but Lily declined.

"Sev and I are going to study for our quiz in Transfiguration," she said happily.

Marlene frowned. "Sev? As in Severus? Oh, that big nosed loser can take a break of seeing you. You two have done nothing but hang around each other like a couple of _really _dry towels!"

"And what's wrong with that, if I may ask?" Lily scowled as her eyebrows narrowed.

Marlene stepped back a little and took a breath. "Nothing. Go have fun studying or whatever."

Lily nodded angrily. "You know, you seem to really have a problem with people I enjoy being around!"

"Maybe because I'm right and you just don't see it!" Marlene retorted. She knew she wasn't going to win this fight so she decided to meet up with Alice and Mary for awhile.

"Yeah, sure. I'm leaving," Lily growled and stomped over to the portrait door.

"Yeah, you do that. I'm sure Severus will be glad to here about how great James and Sirius are," Marlene stomped up the stairs leading to the girl's dormitories.

"I'm sure he will!" Lily exclaimed. She watched Marlene go and exited the room. "I'm sure he will wonder if I'm wrong also..."


	5. One Piece of Parchment

**Seventh Year**

Lily sat in her Potions class as she listened to Professor Slughorn lecture about calming a werewolf with a special potion. She slumped in her chair as she crossed her arms with a sigh. She had already read five books on the subject and got bored about hearing it again. Instead, her thoughts shot immediately to James Potter and his amazing abs. Lily realized what she was thinking about and cursed herself. This was her seventh year at Hogwarts and she wasn't about to let James ruin it for her. To get her mind off of the messy haired boy, she pulled out a scrap piece of paper to scribble on. Daydreams caught her sight and soon enough, she was somewhere else until someone called her name. Lily sat up quickly and saw that Sirius was calling her name from the table over. He pointed at her paper and she looked down in confusion. All of a sudden, the piece of parchment that had once been blank turned into a shrine for James Potter. James's name was written all over it.

"Quite the artist, Lils. I wonder where your inspiration comes from," Sirius whispered with a wink. Lily scowled and crumpled up the paper.

"Oh, sod off," she hissed back.

"Miss. Evans, do you have a question?" Professor Slughorn called and Sirius sniggered.

"Yes, Miss. Evans. Would you like to know about James's abs or arse?" he teased.

Lily shot a look at him quickly before shaking her head. "No, Professor. I apologize."

Professor Slughorn turned to Sirius and laughed. "And you, Mr. Black? Do you have a question?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, Professor."

Professor Slughorn nodded and turned to face his desk to demonstrate something to the class but Lily was already arguing with Sirius before she could find out.

"Hush, Sirius! Or I'll have you knocked out cold by next period," she threatened. Sirius just chuckled once more.

James entered the classroom, gave Professor Slughorn a small piece of parchment, and filled the empty seat that sat right next to Sirius. As soon as he was situated, the two boys began whispering violently about a few different subjects.

"It's not my fault Natalie decided to attack me in the common room! She kept telling me we went out once, but I only recall snogging her by the locker rooms once after a Qudditch match," James exclaimed in a hushed tone and Sirius sighed.

"You missed out on..." He trailed off and leaned in closer to James so no one would overhear. "But don't look."

James nodded and turned towards the front awkwardly. He glanced over a few times at Lily and huffed loudly. "I don't believe you."

Sirius shrugged. "Believe what you want, but I know what I saw."

Lily watched them out of the corner of her eye and frowned. "Knocked out cold before next period, it is," she whispered to herself.

"Class is dismissed," Professor Slughorn announced. The classroom erupted in laughter, chatter, and any noise that could be possibly made. The students were tired from sitting in complete silence as their professor lectured.

"Oi! Evans!" Sirius called but Lily was too busy shoving her books into her bag violently to answer him.

"Lily!" James shouted. Lily looked up but embarrassment burned up her cheeks. She sped towards the door as soon as she could with her head down.

"Lily," Sirius finally caught up with her and she glared at him. "He doesn't believe me. Trust me."

She looked over and saw James jog over to them. James looked from Sirius to Lily. "A piece of parchment?"

"Look, mate. I was wrong. It was just some of her notes," he said and Lily looked at Sirius, confusion clearly searing in her eyes. He just winked back.

"Oh, sorry," James chuckled nervously. "I'll be out of your hair, then."

Sirius watched his friend walk off absentmindedly. "Just a favor, love. You'll have to pay me back sometime, right?"

"If you expect me to do something crazy-"

"Never. Just maybe a firewhiskey run or something," he said and patted her back. "You're welcome."

Lily didn't know what to say. She just stood in the classroom for a few seconds before realizing what was going on. She had a class in two minutes and some piece of parchment wasn't going to keep her from going to that class.


	6. Believe it or Not, I'm Right

**First Year**

"I'm sorry, Lily, but Marlene is right. Even if it sickens me to admit it," Severus said as Lily sighed.

She stood up from her library chair and leaned on one of the bookcases, her back against the books. "Mind telling me why you feel this way? We are only half way through our first year and you're already accusing some students of hurting others."

Severus got up also to lean next to her. "Let's just say I have my reasons, but they are true."

"Look, Sev. I'm not going to give in so easily. I will believe it when I see it," she looked over at him and lifted an eyebrow. "Until then, I am not going to _assume_ some guys are jerks."

He nodded and seated himself once more. "In the meantime, let's study."

"Have you seen any books on Herbology? All the books seem to be checked out," a boy whispered with shy eyes.

Lily smiled and picked up one of her books with a plant on it. "You can borrow mine."

Severus watched with pure curiosity. He had seen this boy before, but in a strange setting. "Is your name Remus Lupin?"

Remus nodded. "And you must be Severus Snape? I apologize for what my friends called you earlier. They are a bit rowdy at times."

Lily looked at both boys with a questioning frown. "You two know each other?"

Remus observed Lily. "I met you on the train here. Lily Evans, right? My friends talk about you and Marlene with harsh tongues. Well, Sirius has a sour tongue for the way he talks about Marlene... That's beside the point. You don't deserve the harsh tongue James and Sirius give you."

Lily's eyes flashed with recognition of the names and smiled. "I'm assuming that's a compliment?"

He returned her smile. "Of course. You are much nicer than what James and Sirius growl on about."

"Well, thank you Remus," she said.

Severus, having been lost for quite sometime, just smiled when he noticed Lily was happy. "That was kind of you to say."

"I must be on my way. It was nice meeting you two," Remus said as he bid his farewell and left the library with his head in the Herbology book.

Lily waited until Remus was well out of hearing range before she turned to Severus. "Checkmate."

"Where have you been?" James called over to the entering student.

Remus grunted and sprawled onto his bed. Sirius crawled over to Remus's bed and hid underneath it. When Remus dangled a foot off of his bed, Sirius grabbed it and Remus yelped.

"Bloody hell!" He shouted. Sirius cackled and jumped on top of the bed. "Don't do that!"

Sirius ignored his screaming friend as he jumped up and down. "Where have you been, anyway?"

Remus pushed Sirius off of the bed. "Library. I finally met the infamous Severus and Lily. They seem to be very polite. In fact, Lily let me borrow her book here without any difficulty."

James scoffed. "Snape and McKinnon are very rude, though."

"Well, I haven't met Marlene yet but Severus didn't talk to me at all. Lily was kind though," Remus mentioned.

"That Evans girl isn't so bad," James murmured.

"You would probably like her a lot better if she actually gave into the stupid thing you call your charm," Sirius added and James laughed.

Peter entered the room with a glum look upon his face. "I got a detention for the prank in the Great Hall earlier..."

James looked up from Sirius and chuckled. "Sorry, mate. Thanks for taking one for the team."

Remus huffed loudly. "You two need to be better in getting back in time!"

"But there was this fourth year by the stairs! I had to stop and help her," Sirius groaned. "Merlin knows it was worth it."

"Oh, hush. So I have this idea..." James trailed on as the boys huddled up. Little did they know that this prank would turn them into fools. All Marlene and Severus needed to do was convince Lily they were right all along.


	7. Prove Me Wrong

**Seventh Year**

James didn't know what to think. He wanted to believe Lily liked him in some kind of way, but when he actually found proof, all signs pointed to the friend zone. Don't get him wrong, he loved being friends with Lily, but everyone knows that he had loved her since his fifth year at Hogwarts. Well, he'd say the love grew over time since the first time she yelled at him. At first, she was a challenge, just a game. But as the days flew by, he found himself hexing students just to see her. He never thought he'd see the day he hexed students to see some dame. But here he was, remembering all the times he made excuses to just catch a glimpse of the girl with the most mesmerizing, emerald eyes. Her hair flowed in the wind, red shimmering down while her pail complexion innocently shined in the sunlight. Her independence that took charge surprised James. Of all the girls that swooned at his winks, he fell in love with the one who couldn't stand it. He loved how she wanted power of her own. Not like Jane or Sarah, who did everything in their power to do as he said. She had ambition and generosity through thick and thin. Her heart always stayed in the right place, no matter how hard the situation got. Every time he hexed a student, she constantly came to their rescue, no questions asked. Even though he was the villain who got scolded, he loved seeing the kind smiles she gave to the victim. She never used a spell that would hurt a fly. Well, unless it was James. And it was just that. He loved the way she treated him differently. She didn't treat him in the nicest way possible, but she paid attention to him and to him, that's all that mattered. She wasn't paying attention to Jack, Jerry, or John. She was paying attention him. Lily Evans was paying attention James Potter.

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirius shouted as he knocked on his head. Waving his hand in front of his face a few times, James finally shook to reality.

"Padfoot," he casually mumbled and looked around. He had been thinking so much, he wasn't even watching where he was going. Somehow, he got all the way by the dungeons. "How did you know where I was? I made sure of not being found."

Sirius squinted at him incredulously. "Who do you think I am?" He held up the Marauder's Map in response.

James nodded and stopped walking. "Is today Thursday?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Sirius questioned.

"I have something to ask Lily."

"If it's another date, she's going to say no. Marlene and I were talking-"

"Oh, I'm sure you were..."

"_And_ she said that the girls are going to be spending the whole weekend together. Except Friday, Lily reserved that day for studying."

James looked over at his friend and smiled. "You know that essay for Potions? Oh Merlin, thank you!"

"What are you- Prongs!" Sirius sprinted after James, but it was no use. It seemed like his friend was flying on clouds.

"Lily!" James called as he entered the common room. Her hair was in a messy bun and her clothes were carelessly rumpled up in places. He smiled at her natural beauty. James always made sure he was around when she was studying because he couldn't get concentration like hers anywhere else.

Lily's head flew upward. "Yes?"

He caught his breath before seating himself across from her. "You know that essay for Potions?"

Lily nodded and resumed writing. "I am doing mine at the moment. What do you need?"

"I was wondering if you could help me perfect it." He said and she opened her mouth to talk but he stopped her. "I know- I know you're spending the weekend with your friends, but Friday is your studying day. Now, I am not asking you on a date because I know how important your studying days are so I am just asking you to help me. You don't have to do much. All you have to do is read over my essay, tell me what's wrong with it, and tell me how I could improve it a little."

She took in every word he breathed and thought it over. "Are you telling me you went behind my back and asked my friends what my plans are for this weekend?"

He sighed. "You know, they are my friends too. And no I didn't. Sirius just told me why he couldn't hang with Marlene this weekend."

"Okay. Yeah, sure." She looked back down at her essay and continued writing.

"Yeah, sure what?"

"I'll help you."

James couldn't help his lips from curling into a large smile. "Alright! I'll see you tomorrow!"

She returned his smile weakly and nodded. "Don't have a heart attack, there."

When James ran up to his dorm, Lily found herself giggling happily. She kept telling herself that he was an idiot, but he kept finding ways to prove her wrong.


	8. Dungbombs or Stink Pellets?

**First Year**

Lily sat down across from Marlene and smiled. "Hey, I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. The boys might be a group of rude prats, but we don't have to worry about them. I think we should just ignore them for now."

James called Marlene and Lily's name and waved at them with two orange slices in his mouth. Remus shook his head, slamming his palm against his face and pushed James to sit down.

"I agree," Marlene groaned.

Mary sat down next to Lily as Alice sat next to Marlene.

"What are you two talking about?" Alice asked.

Marlene chuckled, glancing at the boys who were stuffing their faces with waffles. "Just some gits we met."

"Don't they call themselves the Marauders?" Mary asked as she watched Peter join the three other boys.

"Don't know, don't care," Lily said. She shoved a piece of pancake in her face and the other girls laughed.

Alice looked back at the other houses' tables and frowned. "Do you smell something?"

Marlene sniffed the air and shook her head. "You're delusional."

"No, seriously. I smell... A Dungbomb?" Alice questioned herself and Lily sniffed.

"You've gone mad. I don't smell a thing," Lily said.

"Hold on, guys. I think Alice is right," Mary stopped. "I smell it too."

Alice looked under the table and saw four students with a pile of Dungbombs. "Duck!"

One of the students threw a single Dungbomb into the air and the small ball infected anything near it with its putrid smell. The girls had ducked just in time to dodge the first ball, but they were too late for the second one. One of the other students rolled the second Dungbomb onto the floor, getting the ducking group of girls with the dreadful smell.

"We should evacuate!" Lily shouted over the screams. Holding their noses, the girls got everyone around them to leave the Great Hall. The Prefects were scoping out the area as the other students rushed to their common rooms.

"Are you okay Remus?" Lily screamed at him. He was standing by the Great Hall doors with his hands behind his back, waiting for the rest of his friends.

He nodded. "Yeah, you go Lily."

Marlene pulled Lily up the stairs, but spotted the Marauders running down a corridor in the opposite direction. And she could have sworn their hands were dirtier than a house elf's rags.

"It was the Marauders! They did it!" Marlene exclaimed, shutting the door behind her. Alice hopped on her bed with a look of disbelief.

"We all know you don't like the gits, but that's no reason to go around, spreading rumors," Mary sighed.

Lily slid onto her bed. "They're not all that bad."

"Okay, Lily. You have read all about Dungbombs, right? If Alice was right about what she smelled then it must be them!" Marlene shouted.

"I'm not following," Alice whispered.

Marlene stood back so she could speak to all of her friends. "So you told me once that Dungbombs can stink up a place pretty bad, right?"

Lily nodded. "But so can Stink Pellets."

"Right and I thought the same thing, but you know what I saw on my way out?" Marlene asked them and everyone just stared at her, puzzled. "The Marauders' hands were caked with dirt."

Mary's face radiated with familiarity. "And the difference between a Dungbomb and Stink Pellets is the mess at the end of the day."

"Right! Now you're getting it!" Marlene said.

Lily wasn't buying it, though. "What if they were trying to clean it up?"

Marlene laughed. "A likely story for a group of boys who go by the name of the Marauders..."

"Lily, the definition of maraud is to roam in search of things to steal or people to attack," Mary recited.

"Guys, I'm trying to sleep. If you could keep it down a little," Alice shouted from underneath her covers and rolled onto her side.

Mary got up, a pillow in hand. "It's still around breakfast time, you lazy bum!" She started hitting her with the pillow multiple times.

"But it's Saturday!" Alice cried in exasperation.

Lily laughed at her silly friends but she couldn't help from wondering about the Marauders. She couldn't bring herself to believing the kind boy she met in the library could do such a thing.


	9. No Fun

**Seventh Year**

Lily Evans waved her wand at the staircase leading to the boy's dormitories and she walked safely upward. The sun had fallen and a bright, full moon had taken its place.

Being Friday, Lily knew she had a couple more hours to study but she had a question for James Potter. Yes, she disliked James with a passion but this dislike eased over the many months of their sixth and current seventh year.

Earlier that day, James had actually done his homework and wanted Lily to check it over. It was for Potions and he wanted to surprise Professor Slughorn with an impressive essay.

James had told Lily that he had to talk to Remus about his Transfiguration essay so he left Lily almost alone in the common room. He told her that his door would always be open if she wanted to talk to him. Lily figured that he had high intentions for school and his future so she was glad to help him.

She walked down the hallway and stood in front of the Marauders dorm. Her fist hovered over the door as she took a breath. Right before she knocked, she heard two voices from within the room. She overheard a female voice and a male voice but she didn't know who the voices belonged to.

"DON'T!" The male voice shouted and she assumed something was knocked over because she heard a loud crash. Lily didn't want to eavesdrop but she didn't want to walk in on something. Before she could make a decision, the door was flung open and James stood in front of her. He was in his boxers so Lily could see all the cuts and scratches on his body. Some fresh and some looked like they had been there for months. This surprised her but what surprised her even more was when she saw the female behind James. With her clothes strewn everywhere, the girl was only in her bra and knickers. Lily's eyes narrowed from the million assumptions that spun in her head. She was sincerely hurt at this affair in front of her but she knew she shouldn't be mad because James wasn't hers. They weren't dating and she was supposedly supposed to hate him. But in reality, she wished she was dating James and wished it was her that was in the room with him.

"Sorry to interrupt. Continue shagging or snogging or whatever," Lily said in the nicest voice she could dig up. And with that, she whirled as fast as possible and sped back to the common room. She could hear footsteps following her but she didn't turn to see who it was. Instead, she let the tears that threatened to fall earlier, soak her cheeks. But someone grabbed her right shoulder when she reached the top of the stairs.

"Lily, it's not what it looks like!" The male voice from the room stopped her. She groaned when she realized the voice belonged to James but she still didn't turn. He finally tugged her in a half circle so she was facing him but her eyes were looking down. "Look at me, Lily."

He took a finger and placed it under her chin. He nudged it upward so she was looking at him but saw her tears and immediately hugged her. A large sigh came from James's room and the girl came hurtling down the hallway. The girl was recognized as Lauren Fitz, a sixth year. She shoved past them with her clothes in her arms but she stopped before going down the stairs.

"It's always Lily! Why, though? She studies all the time and she never has any time for anyone but herself. Merlin, she's not even fun like me!" Lauren screeched before sprinting to her dorm, located in the Ravenclaw house. When James and Lily were alone, Lily cried deeply in his chest.

"Don't let me stop you from having fun," she finally muttered, breaking the silence.

"What fun? Do you see how I got hurt? She's gone bonkers," he responded before Lily pushed him away.

"I know I have no right to be angry but I am. I am so angry that I could hang you from the nearest gargoyle upside down while bogies seep out of your ears. So just... Leave me alone!" She shouted and stepped backwards, away from him.

"No, Lily! Just listen!" He shouted back.

"Maybe you should tell Lauren about your problems! She'd actually care what you'd have to say," she retorted. He stammered to say something and she scoffed before he could spit anything out. "I can't be mad at you because there is nothing between us so why do you care that I'm upset?"

James just gaped at her, not knowing how to respond. She turned on her heel and walked down the stairs that turned into a slide when it recognized her as a girl. When she got to the bottom, she stood up and walked through the portrait hole with the least bit of dignity she had left.


	10. Sadistic Games

**Fourth Year**

"Lily!" Severus Snape came running over to the girl with fire red hair and attempted to catch his breath.

"Are you alright, Sev?" She asked, noticing something wrong. Lily didn't know it then, but he just came from being harassed by a group of students going by the name of the Marauders.

He looked around. "Nothing. So have you studied for Potions yet?"

Lily ignored his worried looks and nodded. "Well, of course! I've read the book already."

"School just started! You honestly can't be telling me that you finished our fourth year's Advanced Potion Making book in a matter of two weeks!" He exclaimed incredulously.

She nodded. "It was simple. Most of it was review from-"

A shrill scream interrupted her conversation with Severus and she went to go see what was going on. A large crowd started to build up around a wobbling student and a few students with their wands out.

Severus immediately recognized the few students with their wands out as the Marauders, the people who had bullied him earlier. "I think we should ignore this, Lily."

"No, we need to help-" she started to say but when she looked back, he was gone. "OI!" Lily walked over, a little nervous but she tried to show her confidence.

"What is she doing?" A couple people murmured from the crowd as they stepped back to make a path for her.

"I think that's Lily Evans," Sirius whispered and James nodded. He could recognize the red hair from a mile away.

Remus was leaning against a tree with a book out. He didn't bother to look up from his book when the Marauders were toying with the helpless student but when Lily shouted, he was watching very intently.

"What do you think you're doing to this poor student?" Lily asked, her voice shaky.

James watched her plant her feet behind the victim and he smirked. "Teaching him a lesson, if you couldn't tell."

Sirius chuckled and tugged on the student's robs menacingly.

"What did he do?" she asked and stepped around the student so she was closer to the boys.

Peter scurried over to Remus and kept his mouth shut.

"Walked in my way, I think." James glanced over at Sirius, who gave him a thumbs up.

Lily scowled. "Excuse me? Are you meaning to tell me that you are torturing this poor boy here for no reason at all?"

James's eyebrows narrowed and he snorted. "We did have a reason. He walked in my way."

"James, is it?" She asked and he grinned. "That is hardly a reason at all."

Remus closed his book and got up from leaning against the tree.

"I don't think you have a right to tell me if I have reason or not to have a little fun," James argued.

Lily was getting angrier by the second. He couldn't do this to innocent students and she wasn't going to let him. "Fun?" she chuckled sarcastically. "If you call hurting random, innocent students fun, you are one sadistic git."

The crowd gasped and Lily smiled slightly. James's glow disappeared, although. "Sadistic?"

"Sadistic and childish." She agreed.

"You have no place to tell me who I am," he growled.

Lily opened her mouth to argue some more but Marlene cut in. "Sorry to close the show but we have places to be."

"Marly! The student!" Lily exclaimed as she was being dragged away and Marlene sighed.

"Unjellify!" She shouted and the counter course stopped the student from tripping over himself for the umpteenth time.

James and Sirius scrambled to aim their wands at someone but they were still trying to sort out what had just happened.

The student, Lily, and Marlene all got away just in time before the Marauders even sorted out the crowd that hadn't dispersed yet.

"That bitch!" Sirius screamed but James wasn't so quick to agree. He didn't know if his challenger made him as angry as he thought he'd be. A challenge made the situation a whole lot more interesting. Merlin knows he had fun.


	11. Listen Silently

**Seventh Year**

James ran to pull a pair of jeans on and bolted after her. Lily was so angry, she just walked anywhere she saw open space. In other words, she didn't know where she was going. James looked for her everywhere but she was nowhere to be found. Instead of James running into her, Sirius backed up into her.

"Sorry," she murmured to him and turned to see Sirius. She first wiped her tears away and then looked up to meet his questioning gaze.

"Why are you out so late, Evans?" He asked her. He saw her tears and heard her sniffles so he immediately stooped to be level with her face. "What's wrong, Lils? Are you okay?"

She nodded but looked down. "Just out for a walk. And you?"

"Out with Remus doing... Some... Detention stuff..." Sirius lied and scratched his head as he got up from the ground. He looked upward to avoid Lily's stare.

"Where's Remus then?"

"Lost him sometime around ten."

"Would you like me to help find him? I'm trying to avoid the common room."

"No."

Sirius got to the answer so quickly, it made Lily raise an eyebrow suspiciously. Whenever she did this, anyone she was talking to knew that she sensed something wrong. Sirius didn't want her to find out about Remus so he put his arm around her and walked quickly down the corridor.

"What are you doing, Sirius? What are you up to?" She whispered hastily.

"Detention stuff. Just, don't ask any questions and keep up."

Lily stumbled alongside his long strides but she kept quiet. Sirius walked until he caught sight of James.

"Prongs!" He shouted and James hurried over. "Take your girlfriend."

"_Don't_ say that! And let me stay with you!" She exclaimed.

"Shack is unstable," Sirius whispered to James and he nodded. Lily frowned in confusion as she was passed over from one Marauder to the other.

"Come," James said urgently and they departed from Sirius. She stopped and crossed her arms defiantly. He turned to look at her in a surprised manner, his eyes filled with desperation.

"I'm not going with you until you tell me what's going. And I'm certainly not going with YOU," she emphasized as she looked away angrily. James grew restless from the night so he grabbed Lily and flung her over his shoulder. "Potter! What do you think you're doing?" She shrieked but he hushed her. She banged her fists against his bare back but it didn't really have an effect on him in any way.

He ran up to the common room where he finally set her down on a couch in front of the fireplace.

"James Potter! You tell me what's going on, now!" She demanded as he sat next to her.

"Lauren stormed into my room to tell me about class earlier. You know, when we were partners in Defense Against the Dark Arts and I wouldn't listen to her since she was wrong. She got mad at me because I made her look stupid in front of the class, apparently. I just told her she didn't need help with looking stupid and she slapped me." He turned his head to show her a red cheek that was slowly fading.

"Look, I don't really care about your stupid little sex affairs with Lauren Fitz. I already know what happens and how it ends. I want to know why you and Sirius were so edgy earlier!"

"Maybe if you'd listen, you'd know!" He retorted and she groaned as she leaned back and crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. "After that, I told her to leave but she demanded I had to pay her back. I told her I had no intention of giving up any galleons to her and she had to leave. Instead of leaving, she ripped my shirt off, ruining my new shirt and scratching my chest. I jumped back but she was quick to pull the remaining pieces of my really REALLY nice shirt off. I held her off me but that didn't stop her from stripping herself almost naked. I was grossed out and ran for the door but she had an enforcement spell so I was trapped. That's when she pulled off my trousers. I fortunately got to my wand and reversed the spell. I shouted at her when she charged towards me and I had to push her away, which knocked over the lamp, as I opened the door. I could go on but you know the rest," he finally finished and took a breath. He waited for her response but it didn't come. She just stared into his eyes angrily but silently. "I never wanted this to happen. I don't like her because my heart was already stolen," he kept on, trying to fill the deafening silence. "By the girl I have loved since fifth year. The girl with the flaming red hair, books stacked in front of her face, and the most beautiful, bright green eyes. You."


	12. Young is a Synonym for Blind

**Fourth Year**

"Was that who I think it was?" Lily shrieked as she stormed up to the common room with Marlene at her side.

Marlene sighed. "Didn't I tell you the first year we got here?"

"Marly, I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you! They are so aggravating! What do they think they were doing to that student? No way in hell are they going to think they can torture students for simply _walking in their way_. I won't let them" Lily growled.

"Hey, save that feisty attitude for something important, tiger!" Marlene said with a chuckle.

Lily ran the scene through her head over and over again. "But the worst part of it was Remus! I thought he was better than that! He was so nice in the library that one day..."

"You can't stay in the past, Lils. People change," Marlene said as she sat down on one of the couches in the common room.

Lily nodded and sat next to Marlene. "That Peter kid seemed pretty scared of me, though."

"Yeah, he's a bit of a coward. At least, compared to the rest of them."

"I should have believed you from the start! You and Sev."

"Yeah, I know. You've learned your lesson. Always listen to me!"

"Where did Sev go, anyway? He and I were talking, but as soon as he saw the Marauders..."

"Why does it matter? He gets on my nerves."

Lily stopped and came to a sudden realization. Well, more of a developed realization that took four years to develop. "That first year on the train... Do you think they bully Sev?"

"Look, Lily. That Snape kid is always hanging around the wrong crowd. You shouldn't be around that type?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Lily demanded.

Marlene sighed and rolled her eyes. Bracing herself for another fight with her best friend again, she leaned back and made sure to get comfortable. "You know Avery and Mulciber? Snape always hangs around them and I don't think they are the best type to be around. Into the dark magic and whatnot."

"Sev was so kind to me when I didn't know anyone, but my sister."

"That's because you didn't know kindness. Petunia is mean and you know it."

Lily gritted her teeth angrily. "Tuney is the kindest person I know. She may not say the nicest things all the time, but we are sisters, for Merlin's sake! We are supposed to fight!"

"All I'm saying is that Severus was never kind to you. Yes, he introduced you to the wizarding world, but has he ever let you choose your friends? Lily, you were thrown into our friendship! We share the same dorm. If you lived in a dorm by yourself, I guarantee that you wouldn't even be talking to Alice, Mary, and I. Severus is always choosing what you do. You like Transfigurations, right? Then why are you always studying for Potions? May I remind you, Potions is his favorite class."

"I love Potions! It's just, he and I don't need to study for Transfiguration as much we do for Potions..." Lily bit her tongue, afraid to say anything she would regret. "You have always found a problem with my friendship with Sev! Just leave me be!"

Marlene watched Lily run up to their dorm and she sighed. "That girl is so blind..."


	13. One Enlightening Night

**Seventh Year**

Lily just sat there, staring. Even though she was silent, her eyes had eased and her attitude lightened a bit. It took awhile but she finally interrupted the silence between them.

"You're an arrogant toerag, James Potter." A few seconds passed and James's head dropped. He was going to leave it alone until he heard laughter. He looked up to see Lily smiling while snorts of laughter escaped her once pursed her lips. He eyed her curiously as she jumped up and hugged him.

"What's going on?" He asked. She just pulled him upward and hugged his waist happily.

"You're an immature git!" He looked down at her weirdly but he wasn't complaining. At least she wasn't angry so he was happy.

"Are you okay?"

"I thought you and Lauren Fitz were a thing but I'm glad you aren't."

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Lily. That you're the only one for me," he whispered as she pulled away to look at him with a smile.

"I know... You've told me at least a hundred times!"

"Well, it's true," he added and took a strand of her hair to spin in between his two fingers. She beamed up at him and got up on her toes so she was close to his face. She smiled and kissed his cheek happily.

"Thank you for telling me the truth."

"Anytime," he beamed back at her. She held his hands but soon let go to go up to her dorm. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back," she whisked past him and up the stairs. He watched her with a puzzled look but he decided to sit on the couch to wait. She came back down with much warmer clothes on.

"Care for a moonlit walk?" She asked. "I am in the need for some outside air."

James started to smile but it quickly disappeared. "Can I get back to you on that? I don't know if I have any nice shirts left," he lied and ran up the stairs. When he entered his dorm, he immediately ran for his mirror that Sirius had the other end for. "Padfoot!"

Sirius's face appeared in the mirror and the background showed he was still in the Shrieking Shack.

"Prongs, what's wrong?" He asked with a melancholy tone.

"Have things calmed down? What's the present situation?"

"Remus is waking up now. Peter and I thought that the Shack wouldn't hold him this time but just before he was about to break out, he relaxed and fell asleep. It was weird but it looks like he was down long enough to change back to Remus. We are still trying to figure out why the potion the nurse gave Remus didn't work. Anyway, why do you ask?"

"Lily wants to go on a moonlit walk with me and I'm guessing she wants to talk to me about what happened earlier. Should I tell her about Remus if she asks?"

"I think that if you really think she is the one, you should tell her. But you don't know that yet. Just try to avoid the actual answer until the time comes. You'll know when that time is and you'll be ready. Oh, and you can go on the walk. Just don't stay out too long! Unless you're shagging... Then go get her!" He said and nodded with a smile. James returned it with a thankful nod before he put the mirror away. He grabbed a jacket and shirt and ran down the stairs to find Lily waiting for him.

"Took you long enough! Does the jacket and shirt mean yes?" She asked with a laugh.

"Where to?" He asked, holding his arm out for her to take.

"Black lake?"

"How mischievous! Lily Evans, sneaking out with the Head Boy... I would have never thought the goody-two-shoes Head Girl would have been breaking any rules."

Little did they know that this was the beginning of Lily's misbehaving. This was, in fact, the smallest trouble she will risk herself with.


	14. Two Different Parties

**Fourth Year**

"Hey, it's my turn to apologize. I shouldn't have said those things about your sister and Snape. Although I don't agree with Snape at all, Petunia is your sister. I shouldn't have messed with your own family," Marlene said. "I'm sorry."

Lily looked over at her friend and grinned. "You're such a tease! Come here, you!"

It was late on a Saturday night and the girls were having an awkward party. They all planned to 'go insane' that weekend, but with two of the girls not talking to each other, the plan backfired. Mary and Alice usually hung out with each other because Marlene and Lily were such good friends, but Mary and Alice didn't know what to do when their friends weren't talking. It rarely happened. But Marlene finally sucked up her pride and apologized. It was usually Lily who apologized first when they ever got into fights, but this time, Lily wasn't budging.

"Now that you two aren't acting like two five-year-old children," Alice began, "LET'S PARTY!"

Mary pulled out multiple bottles of firewhiskey and distributed them equally. Each girl had four bottles.

"What's a party without shot glasses?" Marlene shouted. She had four that had their names carved in the side. "I was going to give you all these for Christmas, but 'this girl' lost them during break..."

They all filled up their shot glasses and lifted them into the air.

"To our perfect dorm with the perfect people," Alice added.

"To our friendship," Mary raised her glass.

"To fights that always get patched up the right way," Marlene said happily

"And to our fourth year," Lily finished.

"Cheers!" They all exclaimed and downed their shots together.

The girls danced around the room, delirious yet collected. Mary put a spell on the drinks so they would become sober after some time. They didn't want the night to be thrown away after just a few drinks.

While their party raged on, Sirius and James found themselves scurrying along a secret passageway.

"Got the butter beer?" Sirius whispered as the ascended up a ladder that lead to the castle.

"Don't forget the candy, supplies for our next prank, and firewhiskey," James added.

Sirius shrugged through the trap door and shimmied on the ground to get out of James's way. He checked the Marauder's Map and gasped. "Slughorn! Ten o'clock!"

James tried to get situated so he wouldn't drop anything that he cradled in his arms. "We really need a bag."

The boys ran around and hid behind a few knights that stood to watch in the corridor.

"Hello? Who's there?" Professor Slughorn hissed into the darkness and slunk towards the knights. The long corridor was lit with the sun's reflection upon the moon through a lonely window that hung silently on the wall. The Professor's glides were smooth and stealthy. Without haste, Professor Slughorn moved along the corridor, checking for anything out of the ordinary. "Rotten house elves, always scaring me silly."

James's breath hitched and Sirius looked over. A long empty space separated them, but they could still see each other.

Professor Slughorn started to shuffle back to his office before he stopped once more. He turned to look over his shoulder, eyes watching, straining for any kind of movement. Confirming his observations of the situation before, he looked forward and returned back to his office.

"Let's go," Sirius whispered. They sprinted back up to their dorm and told Remus and Peter all about their Hogsmead heist.

Remus sighed. "You two are getting careless. Almost caught by three different shop owners? That's not even including that Slughorn deal..."

"Does it matter? Let's get drunk!" Peter exclaimed and Sirius looked at him.

"You seem to be in a bit of a rush to get this party going..." he said a bit harshly. "I'm not going to argue with that. Pop the drinks open James!"

The boys laughed and talked of old times as well as the new. Their party was not much different from the girl's party except for the sober spell Mary cast. One party ended much earlier than the other and it's pretty easy to guess which it which.


	15. Leaping Jetes and Spinning Pirouettes

**Seventh Year**

Lily wanted to get everyone up in the castle and dance. She was not really the one for dancing, but her heart leaped jetes and she didn't want it to stop. Going on a walk, she thought, might calm her nerves, but every time she made eye contact with James, her body did a funny, little, Irish jig. She felt a tingly feeling shoot through her arms and legs as all the common sense left through her toes. Her heart skipped happily, but her brain stormed around like it was having a mental tantrum. She wanted so much to hate James. But how could she? He made her feel happy when she didn't know she could smile. He made her laugh when no one else could. James was the one Lily admired and she couldn't do anything about it. Some of her was glad, and I guess you could say, that side won her over, but there were still parts of her who wanted to stalk back to her dorm and complain about him. But, of course, those parts of her were the parts that wanted to go back to her first year, to when she was so naïve, and just talk to Severus all day. To Lily, that's the worst thing she could do. There was no way she wanted see the slimy git again. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but whenever she saw his face, hatred boiled up from the bottom of her stomach to the top of her esophagus. She wanted to scream and spit and say everything that she wanted to say, but she couldn't. All she could do it choke and ignore his presence. It was hard, but she had to forget everything he had done to her. She saved confronting him for a rainy day.

The two students left and they walked cautiously to the lake, where they laid down on the grass in front of the water. James put his arms behind his head so he was propped up a bit and watched silently as the wind created a subtle current in the water. He patiently listened to the shallow breaths Lily took and he soaked it all in. She sat up with her arms wrapped around her legs and her eyes staring straight, not really looking at anything. She was too busy thinking.

"You know, I have thought a lot about... Stuff..." She began but her thoughts trailed away with her words.

"Thinking? My, Lilypad. Thinking is very dangerous, you know. A bright witch told me that once! In fact, the brightest witch of her age," he added with a cheeky smile in her direction. He was of course referring to her because she had always told him that thinking was very dangerous for someone like James. He would usually just laugh.

Lily giggled absentmindedly but continued to stare into the night.

"I think I owe you some explanations. About why I was so upset over you and Lauren."

James sat up abruptly and turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I have growing feelings for you, James. And I don't know why. I have always hated you but you really grew up this year and that changed everything. I just really like you, that's why I was so upset." Lily heard herself say it all, but it was still strange to hear it. This was the first time she addressed her feelings for James. The first time she even admitted it.

James just stared at her like she was an alien from mars and she told him that their planet was made out of his favorite kinds of food. "You like me? Since when?"

"I don't know... I guess it's been growing for awhile and I didn't want to admit it... Even if you are an arrogant toerag," she muttered quietly. He moved so he was sitting in front of her and the lake was facing his back. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them. She looked up at the stars and smiled but looked back at his beaming face.

"Is this really true?" He asked, not believing it at all. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. It was quite an awkward hug because her legs were right in between them but they managed. When they pulled apart, Lily put her legs down and got up. She held a hand out for James to which he grabbed to get up with her.

Lily pulled out her wand and turned towards the castle. "Accio towels!" She exclaimed. A few minutes passed but no towels came. "Aw, I thought that would work."

Just then, two towels flew from an open window and pelted James when he wasn't looking. He rubbed his head as he grabbed them and gave one to Lily.

"That spell could go a little easier on getting here..." He murmured. "What are the towels for?"

She walked up to him and slid his jacket off of his arms. It dropped to the ground and his shirt quickly followed. "Your wounds," she said as she waved her wand and the cuts and scratches on his torso disappeared. "I don't know the exact spell very well so wrap these around your chest and waist as a safety precaution. A side effect of the spell going wrong is your wounds reopening and bleeding everywhere."

James wrapped them around himself and Lily waved her wand once more to pick up the clothing on the ground. With the jacket and shirt in Lily's possession, they decided to walk back to the castle. It had seemed to James that Lily had completely forgotten about Remus but she really hadn't. She was just waiting for the right time to talk about it. She knew the sun was going to rise soon so she felt she should ask later.

"Thanks for the wonderful night, James," Lily said when they finally got back to the common room.

"I should be thanking you, Lily. I have been dreaming of this moment for a long time," James exclaimed and kissed her forehead.

"I know the last few hours have felt like forever but I don't want us to rush things... I need time to collect my thoughts, if that's alright?" She asked, rubbing her head. James hugged her with a calm embrace.

"Take all the time you need. You know, a bright witch once told me, perfection cannot be rushed. But that was for an essay," he laughed at the thought. She giggled but yawned quickly after.

"Goodnight James," she waved and they both headed up the separate staircases. When James was alone, he threw his fist into the air triumphantly. When Lily was alone, she covered her face and laughed out of happiness. The two had both dreamed of this for a while even if neither of them ever wanted to admit it.


	16. Simplicity Named Lily

**Fourth Year**

James closed the door of the broom closet and fixed his messy hair. "See ya tomorrow."

"Alright!" Jane exclaimed and kissed him on the lips. James reluctantly kissed back.

"I'll owl you," he said and walked away. "Not."

"Someone just shagged a girl," Sirius jeered. "You've got sex hair."

James ran a hand through his hair. "Jane."

"Oh, you got her name this time! That's a new one," Sirius said. He pulled out his wand and flicked it so the kid in front of him went flying out of his way. "Bet you told her you'd send an owl also."

James laughed at the kid who went flying and elbowed Sirius. "Since when have I actually sent an owl?"

Sirius nodded. "You're bad, Prongs."

"Oi, there's Jimmy," James chuckled out of the corner of his mouth. "The one who said those things to Wormtail."

Sirius ran over to the small boy and snapped his wand so Jimmy was bound to the nearest tree. "Jimmy, is it? I hear this rumor going around about you. It's not so good. I mean, messing with a Marauder? Not very smart, is it?"

"What are you talking about?" Jimmy shrieked and James looked around. A small crowd started flocking around them.

"They came faster this time. A new record," James whispered to Sirius. "And more girls."

Sirius flashed him a cheeky grin but kept his eyes hastily on his victim. "You probably shouldn't call Peter a wuss. I wouldn't, you know why?"

"Aw, gee. Is that what this is all about?" Jimmy sighed. "Well, why?"

"Because Peter is friends with us. That's why," Sirius said as his eyes glistened wickedly.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Well, he was being a wuss! Oh, come on! You guys should understand, considering the fact that you guys are the Marauders."

Sirius looked over at James, who was chortling loudly. "Not the brightest in the bunch, are you, Jimmy?"

"POTTER! BLACK!" A girl screeched as she pushed through the crowd. "WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"Aw, we haven't even started yet!" Sirius wailed angrily.

Lily's hair frisked in sunlight, her waves rippling downward as she stalked over to the scene. "You let that student go right now!"

Sirius huffed. "He started it! Talking to Peter like that... It's not right!"

"Hey... Lemme take care of this," James said calmly and he walked over to Lily. "Evans, there's a reason-"

"Oh, and I have a reason to just go up to that kid, who called Marlene a bitch, and torment her-"

"You have every reason to-"

"There is literally NO reason-"

"But she called your best friend a bitch so that gives you-"

"No right, Potter! All she did was call her a-"

"Bitch! That's not the nicest thing to call someone and-"

"It's not the worst! She could have called Marly a hundred other things that would make everything so much worse!"

"Hey, don't drag me into this," the girl stepped back from James and Lily's pointing fingers.

"SHUT UP!" James and Lily shouted together.

Sirius huffed loudly as he watched the two fighting students glare at each other furiously. "Alright, alright. We'll let little Jimmy go."

"You're going to apologize then let him go," Lily growled.

"Sorry," Sirius mumbled and waved his wand. "Don't do it again."

"Black!" Lily screamed but Jimmy was long gone. "Merlin, you two are immature!"

The crowd dispersed as Lily stomped away and Sirius pouted all the way back to the castle. James, on the other hand, stayed put. His heart couldn't stop pounding from the fight he just had with Lily. He realized that Jane never made his heart pound that much when they talked. As a matter of fact, she never even made his heart pound that much when they shagged. But James didn't want to like Lily. Well, she was fun to mess with and all but she wasn't Jane or Sarah. I mean, everyone called Lily prude, first off, and that was someone he did not want to get entangled with. And second of all, she ruined all the fun. It was getting on his nerves. But the more James thought about it, the more his feelings softened for the green eyed girl. He just couldn't help smiling when he was around her. Even thinking about her made his spirits lift. But Lily Evans was Lily Evans and she was not the girl for James. He just needed to forget about her, that's all. Simplicity was never a forte for him. He was living with a werewolf! But forgetting someone didn't seem to hard. He just needed to forget this bossy girl named Lily.


	17. Change in Attitude

**Seventh Year**

The next morning began with two excited students, running down to the Great Hall for breakfast. One sat on the side near the Ravenclaws while the other sat a few tables down on the opposite side. Marlene, Alice, and Mary soon followed while rubbing their eyes and being trailed by Remus, who was reading once again. They came and sat by Lily, the one by the Ravenclaw table, and ate as slowly as possible. Marlene looked hungover while Alice and Mary looked sleep deprived. Lily laughed at them as she watched Alice and Mary lean on each other for support as they tried to sleep some more while Marlene slammed her face on the table.

"Hiya Remus! How are you?" Lily exclaimed. He looked up and smiled at her beaming face.

"Hey Lily," he replied, returning the smile weakly.

"How about you, Marly? How are you?" She asked, raising her voice. Marlene growled back and flipped her hair angrily.

"I have a headache, git... Don't be a prat..." Marlene mumbled as she rubbed her head. Lily just smiled and laughed.

"Did you three party all night?" She asked all three. They all looked up and sneered.

"More like party for a few hours and then Marlene parties alone..." Marlene said. Alice and Mary chuckled a bit but leaned back on each other again.

"I was tired and so was Mary so we slept while Marly drank the rest of the fire whiskey!" Alice exclaimed in defense. "It wasn't really much of a party, Marlene. You know we need Lils to have a real party."

"The rest of it? Thanks Marly... Saving none for me," Lily said sadly. "Anyway, you know I reserved last night especially for studying."

"Never mind that! Where were you after midnight?! You said you didn't need to study that much! Midnight was partying time!" Marlene shouted but moaned soon after from her headache. Mary and Alice looked up at Lily again, as if to agree to have the same interest in having Marlene's question answered, but Lily never said anything.

"Oh, there's Sirius! He looks hungover also so he will probably give you some of his potion, Marly."

Marlene looked up and grinned wider than the Grand Canyon.

"Black! Oi! Hangover potion!" She screeched but shuddered from the height of her voice. Sirius looked over and trudged over to them. He handed her a vile full of a faint, yellow liquid. Marlene downed it as fast as she could and slammed her head back on the table.

"I'm with you Marly," Sirius murmured and followed suit. Lily giggled at the two of them with a large smile. This made Alice suspicious.

"Ummm... Lily? Why are you so peppy for a Saturday morning? Usually, you would shake your head disapprovingly and roll your eyes at them. You would have also told Marly that hangovers are the consequences to drinking and there shouldn't be a potion for such a thing so you don't make the same mistake again. On top of that, today is another Quidditch match! You hate that sport... And it's a Gryffindor game so James will obviously do something stupid that will make you complain for hours..."

Lily raised an eyebrow at Alice as if to suggest she wouldn't do such a thing so early in the morning, but she couldn't help from smiling.

"Just in a good mood I guess," she shrugged but Mary lifted her head as an idea slipped into her mind.

"DID YOU SHAG SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME?!" She screamed. A bunch of neighboring students looked over curiously but Marlene, Sirius, and Lily all hushed her while a grin appeared on Alice's face.

"You did, didn't you?" She asked, full of excitement.

"Hush, you too! People will start getting ideas... Like how I've never shagged before which is NOT TRUE!" Lily exclaimed so everyone could hear. Marlene and Sirius hushed her also and rubbed their heads in agony.

"Oh... Right!" Alice whispered with a sarcastically convincing wink. Lily hit her hard while Mary laughed.

"I did not! Who do you think I am? I was doing homework!" Lily whispered fiercely.

"Homework... Right!" Alice repeated as Lily winded up for a punch. Alice shielded herself with another loud laugh.

"I'll tell you later..." Lily said quietly, pointing to Sirius. Alice and Mary nodded with wide grins and got up to leave.

"We're going to grab a couple of things and then go to the game. Meet you there?" Mary asked. Remus noticed them get up and turned his head towards them.

"Where are you going? I'll come with," Remus suggested and the three of them left Lily with Marlene and Sirius. Lily hit the table really hard and the two snapped their heads upright.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Marlene hissed while rubbing her head. Sirius did the same only with a glare added.

"You've both got a match in an hour! Get going," she shooed them away and was left alone once again. Only, she wasn't really alone because James soon accompanied her in her thoughts everywhere she went. She smiled stupidly at herself until James waved at her from the other table. This made her blush a bit, but she refrained and waved back. He spoke to his friends and they gave him pats on the back with two thumbs up. He grinned at them and then walked over to Lily.


	18. You're On

**Fourth Year**

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirius hissed. "You've been staring at the wall for over an hour!"

James looked up at Professor Binns, who was droning on about something historic. Probably about various Goblin Rebellions and Giant Wars that didn't matter much to James. Well, to any of the students for that matter.

"The wall? Oh yeah, the wall..." His words trailed off easily with his thoughts. James wasn't staring at a wall but rather at a person. To him, this would be the last person he would be gazing at but he found himself watching anyway.

Remus shifted in his seat and followed the stare to the person James set his sights on. He giggled when he realized it was one of the girls he would consider his friend, Lily.

Lily and Remus ran into each other every now and then at the library. Finding it hard not to bump into each other, they decided to start studying together. Lily was top of the class and, of course, Remus followed closely behind. They found it easy to get along, though. It didn't bother Remus that Lily was slightly better than him because she was very nice. Losing a friend over something silly like grades was something Remus didn't like to do. Lily was enjoyable to be around and she was the only friend who actually got any studying done. She didn't fall asleep like Sirius, get distracted like James, or get confused like Peter. She was the kick start he needed. She got his mind off of the full moon that was always looming over his shoulder and she motivated him to be better in class. She also never encouraged him to pull pranks or skip class. Lily was the perfect studying partner.

"That isn't a wall he has taken a liking to, Padfoot," Remus murmured. Sirius tried to follow the stare Remus and James found so easy follow, but got nowhere. He kept ending up at the wall. "The girl over there... With red hair... Oh, Merlin! It's Lily Evans!"

Sirius finally found the destination and slid his smile awkwardly to the side. "Lily Evans?"

Peter laughed. "They fight all the time, though."

"Evans is not the girl for Prongs," Sirius said bluntly.

Remus shrugged and thought about Lily. "Maybe she's just what Prongs needs."

"But Evans is a prude! Prongs would hate that!" Sirius responded.

"Maybe she is what he needs," Peter mumbled blankly.

"I thought you were on my side, Wormtail-"

"No, really! Just look at the facts, Padfoot. They fight like an old married couple already. I mean, it's just a matter of time before-"

"Wormtail, you have no idea what you're talking-"

Remus hushed them when Professor Binns walked past their desks and to the back of the room. "Sirius, we all need to grow up. We are going to grow up at one time or another and there's going to be something that helps us along. I know you don't want to hear this, but Lily is that maturity pill James will take."

Sirius sighed and leaned back in his chair. Setting his feet on the desk, his chair stood on two precarious legs that Peter whined about. "Oh, really? Wanna make it a bet?"

"How much are we betting?" Remus chuckled, pulling out a few galleons.

Sirius threw three gold pieces in front of Remus. "Three galleons?"

"Boring! Let's make this ten!" Peter whispered.

"Ten, it is," Remus said, setting down ten galleons.

The two boys made sure each other had the money to pay just in case and then shook on the deal.

"You're going to lose. You have no idea how hard James is going to fall for that goody-two-shoes," Remus hissed as he pocketed his money he knew he was about to earn double of.

Sirius just dawdled on the fact that James might fancy Lily. "You're on."


	19. The Dynamic Duo

**Seventh Year**

"Hey Lily," he greeted and she nodded with a smile.

"What are you being congratulated for?" She asked. He laughed heartily and sat down from across the table.

"I was wished good luck," he corrected, receiving a weird look in return. "The boys bet me ten galleons that you would greet me with a negative response. I knew I'd win this one!"

Lily rolled her eyes and opened her mouth for a retort but she stopped. She couldn't believe herself. She actually thought this was quite cute and funny. She would have thought it was rude and mean in the past but her mind changed completely and she wasn't positively sure she liked it yet.

"I don't know how to react to this but I guess say congrats you get the ten galleons!" She said with a cheerful laugh.

James turned to his friends and pretended to hump the table subtlety. Lily gaped at the scene in front of her but then realized she was gaping at herself. In the past, she would have been appalled but for some reason, she felt a little turned on. She couldn't believe herself one bit.

"Sorry... They told me if I won, I had to hump the table..." James lied. He actually did it on a whim.

Lily giggled, but noticed all of the students walking to the Quidditch pitch.

"Don't you have a match in a half an hour?" She asked and James looked up in surprise.

"Shit!" He shouted and sprinted out of the Great Hall.

Lily laughed heartily and shrugged her bag onto her right shoulder. She started walking to the Quidditch pitch until two of James' friends caught up with her. She knew they were only just acquaintances to James compared to the other Marauders but he hung with them all the same.

"So Lily... I heard you have taken a liking to our friend James," one said as he walked on her right side.

"It looks like love," the other corrected as he slid on the other side of her.

"Love? Nah. Not James!" The first one exclaimed.

"I'm sorry... But do I know you?" Lily hissed angrily to them. She felt they had no business in her personal life whatsoever.

"I'm Oliver and that's Perry. We're new. All the way from Norway!" the first one said politely and they grinned at her.

"Well... What do you want?" Lily growled.

Oliver and Perry walked a little faster and stood in front of her so they could slow her to a stop.

"Why would you choose James when you could have us? Or one of us, it doesn't matter..." Perry winked.

Lily scoffed and brushed past them. "I don't fancy James, first off. And second of all, is that your idea of flirting? James used that one on me during our fifth year."

"What can we say? We're just intimidated by your beauty," Oliver smiled as he and Perry jumped in front of her again.

"James used that at the end of sixth year..." Lily said in a hushed tone as she rolled her eyes.

Perry looked over at Oliver discouragingly and exhaled. "Well, what hasn't he used on you?"

Lily shrugged as she pushed past them once again. She sped up a little because she noticed there were no students around them. "Hurry up! We're going to be late for the match."

Oliver grabbed her left hand and pinned her against the nearest tree.

"I don't think James has ever used this on you, has he?" Perry whispered in her ear. He was standing behind the tree, holding Lily's hands around the base of the tree while Oliver had the rest of her body pinned.

"He was more of the gentleman not to," she spat and glared into Oliver's eyes. They stared at each other until Perry licked Lily's ear. This caused her to jump from the surprise of it but instead of intimidating her, it only just angered her more.

"You look cute in the school girl getup. You know Perry, she would look a lot better with it all off..." Oliver murmured to his friend and he nodded back. Oliver's fingers roamed along Lily's waist and hips until he leaned in for a kiss. Lily turned her head away as an angry tear fell from her eye. This made the two boys laugh at her and Oliver touch her high up on her inner thigh.

"STOP!" Lily screeched as she wriggled her left leg free and she completely kneed Oliver in between his legs. Oliver fell back in pain while Perry let go of Lily's wrists in surprise. Lily then turned to Perry and punched him square in the face. He fell to the ground from the impact and Lily smiled until she felt great pain in her right hand.

"Fuck," Lily muttered to herself and clenched her jaw at the pain. She held her fist against her chest and picked up her school bag from where it had dropped earlier. Just when she was about to walk to the pitch, Oliver grabbed her ankle and she fell hard on her face. Blood poured from the scratch on her cheek and her lip grew three sizes too large.

"You're not going anywhere, bitch," Oliver shouted as he tried pulling her skirt down. Lily kicked him really hard and pushed up with her good hand. When she had gotten up, she saw Perry leaning against the tree with blood streaming from his nose. Lily grimaced and ran quickly from the scene.

"Lily?" A familiar voice called out. James was running from the castle and happened to run into her.

"James! Thank Merlin!" Lily sprinted over to him and burst into tears.

"Lily, what happened?!" He asked as he engulfed the broken girl into his arms.

"Have I missed your match?! I don't want to miss it! If I do, I could never forgive myself," She responded and pulled him along.

"No, why do you look so beaten up? You must get to the Hospital Wing."

"Your match!"

"You're bleeding!"

"James." Lily stopped and James sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win.

"Fine. But at least wear my lucky scarf. For me?"

Lily giggled because he had asked her millions of times before to where it but she declined every time. "It'll get bloody."

"I don't care," he retorted as he wrapped it around her neck. She giggled and tried to wipe the bloody tears away.

"Good luck..." She began but her vision became hazy. She started tripping to the right then to the left until she finally blacked out and fell into James's arms.


	20. No Means No

**Fifth Year**

Lily stomped over to the cupboard that stood kindly in the corner of the Potions classroom and she threw her supplies in to return them. She steamed back to her table and shoved her books into her bag.

Just then, James came galloping over and stopped abruptly at the sight of her face. "What's wrong, Evans?" he asked.

"You. That's what's wrong," she hissed and threw her bag over her left shoulder.

"What have I done this time?" he asked as he picked up his books and tucked them underneath his arm.

Lily huffed. "Oh, so we're just going to pretend that you and your friends didn't taunt Richard this morning. I didn't get the memo that we were ignoring random incidents like this. Oh, wait! You've been doing that since your first year here. Well, then... I guess never mind."

"Oh, come on, Evans! We were just having a bit of fun. Lighten up a tad, will ya?" He sighed in return.

"Lighten up?" She hissed. "Lighten up? What is there to lighten up about? You hurting innocent students? No way."

James ran an arrogant hand through his hair. "We're not hurting anyone! Richard is just fine."

"Then why is he in the hospital wing? You really do think you can walk around like you can do whatever you want."

"You know, you seem to be the only one who seems to have a problem with it."

"It's not that. People don't want to confront you four! Merlin forbid you and Sirius..."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Remus and Peter seem to know when to stop. You two- you two just don't know how to stop."

"We do too! We just don't prefer to."

"Merlin, Potter! It's like you're thicker than a boggart! Hold on... At least boggarts know when they should stop attacking. You're thicker than a troll."

"Ouch. Don't you know that words hurt?"

"Oh, don't be such a tosser!"

"I just feel like you don't like me, Evans. It hurts my feelings."

"Really? I thought it was pretty obvious, Potter. I'll make it easier to tell in the future."

"Well, the sarcasm wasn't needed..."

"You're so arrogant, it's blinding your judgment. Well, if you have any."

"You think you're so perfect! I may be arrogant, but never have I walked around on such a high horse."

Lily scoffed and pointed to herself. "You're talking to me, right? The first step to insanity is talking to oneself, you know."

James stepped closer to her and nodded. "And I'm the person going insane. Sure..."

"Don't shower me with sarcasm!"

"I'm only doing it in return. You're welcome."

James and Lily stood nose to nose. Well, if Lily was tall enough to stand with her nose to James's nose. They were breathing angrily with hearts beating hard against their chests. James couldn't help his growing feelings that pounded in his throat and he just felt them jumping out of his mouth.

"Want to go to Hogsmead with me, Evans?"

Lily was a little taken aback, as she just got into a fight with him. "Excuse me?"

James knew the words were already out in the open so he decided to commit. "You heard me. Go to hogsmead with me."

Her mouth hung wide open as her eyes continued to glare angrily back at the eyes that softened before hers. "Now, why would I do that, Potter?"

His mouth contorted into a smirk that he was so well known for. "Why not? It will be loads of fun!"

"What do you want me to think? First, we are in this fight and then, out of the blue if I might add, you ask me to go to Hogsmead with you. You're insane," she responded, completely puzzled.

"I want you to think yes and maybe just say it," he winked.

Lily scoffed at this random act James decided to put on. "You really think I'm going to Hogsmead with you just because you're James Potter? If so, you're wrong."

James frowned, as this was the first time he had ever been rejected. "What do you mean, 'just because I'm James Potter'?"

"Well, you're pretty popular, right?" she asked and he nodded. "Girls seem to give into this fake charm you plaster on for them and the poor girls go on dates with you because you'reJames Potter. Excuse me for not swooning at the sight of you. And you're not just James Potter. You're an arrogant toerag that needs to prioritize humbling yourself first before boasting about how great you are."

He lifted a sarcastic eyebrow at her. "Arrogant toerag, eh? I wonder how many times I've heard that one."

"Maybe you keep hearing it because it's true," she answered.

James was slightly irritated by the fact that he, James Potter, was rejected by this nobody. Yeah, Lily was annoying and loud, but he didn't like the fact that one girl said no to him. He was determined to get that yes from her.

"So maybe you should go to Hogsmead with this arrogant toerag," he said convincingly as he wagged his eyebrows at her.

She frowned. "What did I just say, Potter? No means no."

"Mate, you should probably stop trying," Sirius whispered and pulled James away.

"But I don't take no for an answer," James whined.

Sirius chuckled. "You are this time. Now let's go, we have classes to get to. McGonnagal will kill us if we are late again."

As James was slowly being dragged away, he watched Lily roll her bright, green eyes at him and flip her silky, red hair angrily. She left the classroom behind him, but she soon disappeared. Lily seemed to take a different way to their next class and Sirius made sure of that. Every time Lily and James talked, Sirius always made sure of being there to drag him away. James just couldn't figure out why.


	21. Hospital Wing

**Seventh Year**

"You're alive! Thank Merlin!" James screamed as Lily came to.

"Where... Where am I?" Lily said dazedly. She sat up and rubbed her pounding head. She squinted at the white room and looked around.

"Is it too bright for you? Here, I'll close the blinds!" James shouted and pulled the blinds across the window nearest to Lily.

"Is that you, James? You're so loud," she responded and he immediately slouched.

"Sorry..." He whispered as he was pushed out of the way by the nurse.

"Give her some space you seven! Move! Shoo!" Madam Pomfrey hissed and pushed the students backward.

"Seven? Who all is here?" Lily asked, blinking in their direction.

"Never mind that. To heal you, I used a mix of potions that will blind you for another ten to twenty minutes. You must relax and keep calm or you won't heal correctly. You broke quite a lot of bones and bruises covered your body when I got you! This potion will heal every single pain you have, but it might take a little longer than most potions. You can have your friends here so long as they keep you calm and they are quiet. If I hear one complaint from another patient, out you go!" Madam Pomfrey said nicely while glaring at them out of the corner of her eyes.

The seven students nodded in agreement and Madam Pomfrey scurried back into her office.

"Who is here? Other than James... I know you're here," Lily said, stopping James before he could talk all about himself.

"Marly, Alice and I are all here to comfort your every need. Get well, hon!" Mary said in a calming voice and held Lily's hand to show her they were there.

"We love you, Lily," Alice whispered with a happy tear. "We're glad you're alive."

"I swear to Merlin, those two will be put in the hospital wing if I see them..." Marlene began but Remus hushed her. He walked a few beds over to reveal the sleeping friends. Marlene started to charge over until Madam Pomfrey opened her door and shushed them.

"What happened to them?" Marlene muttered to Remus so no one could hear and Remus just pointed at James.

"You still look angry when you're blind, Evans. How does that happen?" Sirius joked while placing a hand on her shoulder carefully.

"I see, even in dire need of medication, you still managed to bring a book," Remus said with a laugh. He picked up the book that laid on Lily's stomach and started reading.

"Now can I talk?" James huffed and everyone laughed. "I just want to know what I beat those wankers up for."

Lily gasped and looked over to where she thought was James. He smiled but glared at Oliver all the same.

"Lily, they hurt you really badly! Don't get offended for their injuries..." Marlene added but laughed at her imagination of James beating them up.

"What happened?" Sirius exclaimed finally but everyone hushed him for the height of his voice.

Lily re encountered her attack with "oohs!" and "aahs!" from her crowd of friends.

"I should have beaten them harder..." James said and Marlene chortled.

"What happened after I blacked out?" Lily asked, ignoring her two friends.

"Marly and I came looking for James because we didn't want to start without our team captain and we came across you two. James was holding you while you just laid there in his arms. We knew there must have been something wrong because you would never have let James touch you like that without a bat bogey curse to the face. So I carried you up to the hospital wing, Marlene went to go tell the officials the match was off while grabbing Mary and Alice, and James beat the two gits over there to a pulp." Sirius took a deep breath before he and Marlene burst into a fit of laughter. Lily tried to look serious about it but couldn't help from smiling with a giggle here and there.

"He was so mad, he didn't even think of using his wand that was easily pocketed in his Quidditch bag," Remus commented, looking over the book a little.

Lily looked at all of her friends as her sight had restored perfectly and a tear fell. She laughed at herself because this is the most she had cried in her entire life. Her friends looked back at her with pure happiness and joy. "You guys are the best."

James lost it and pulled her into a teary hug. "We will always be there to help you out!"

Sirius scowled and pulled his friend off of Lily. She just giggled at the two of them as they wrestled with each other. The group of friends then indulged themselves into small conversation about school, Quidditch, and many other things until Professor McGonagall bustled into the room.

"Miss Evans! I'm glad to see you're okay!" She exclaimed with a sudden relief. "Sending them back to Norway, we are."

"Oh, that's not necessary, Professor! I could have gotten away just fine if I had my wand on me. I always do, but today I somehow forgot. I am such an idiot sometimes..."

"No. Miss Evans, if we can't keep our students safe, then we must take action so we can in the future," she said indignantly. Lily shut her mouth because there was no point in arguing with McGonagall when she has made up her mind.

Madam Pomfrey made a squealing noise from the door of her office and hurried over to the crowd of them. "Eight visitors is too many! One of you must leave! You are making it rowdy in here and you are going to wake the others!"

"Calm down, Poppy. I was just leaving. Could you perhaps get both Eldens off their bums and to my office as soon as possible? They must be well and ready to face their responsibilities," she stated angrily to Pomfrey and stormed to the doors with a darted glare towards the two sleeping patients.

Pomfrey walked back to her office and carried her potions over to Perry and Oliver Elden.


	22. Rejection

**Fifth Year**

"Who does she think she is? Rejecting me, James Potter!" James growled. Sirius hushed his friend, but it was too late. Professor McGonnagal was already behind him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter. Who rejected you?" she asked calmly as James turned in his chair.

"It's not very important," he responded with a distant voice.

Professor McGonnagal pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. "It's apparently important enough to interrupt my class. So please, go on. Tell us more."

James gave her a small side smile with a snort. "I'm sorry, Minerva. Continue class. I won't interrupt again,"

"No, you've obviously gotten my attention. And call me Professor McGonnagal or I'll take points," she hissed.

Lily huffed impatiently and set down her quill. "I did, Professor. Now, please. Can we get back to class?"

Professor McGonnagal turned to face Lily and chuckled. "Miss Evans? Not your type, is she Mr. Potter?"

James shrugged as he flashed a wink at Lily. "I guess not."

"Quite entertaining. Anyway, if you open your books to the new section, we shall begin on Vanishment. Now, I know this is very difficult and you students learn this during your fifth year, but you must learn a little about it since you learned Conguring recently. I think you all know that conjuring an object is the opposite of making that object vanish..." She walked back to the front of the classroom.

As class ended, Lily bumped into Peter on her way out. She was trying to get out of the classroom as fast as possible so she wouldn't run into James. She was glad it was Peter, but he slowed her down. That's when the worst happened.

"Evans," James called.

Lily knew it was going to happen sometime or another. Better now then later, she guessed.

"Potter," she answered.

"Why won't you go to Hogsmead with me?" He asked.

Lily closed her eyes angrily and exited the classroom with James at her heels. "Haven't I already told you? You're an arrogant toerag."

"You're not even curious as to why all the girls love me?" he asked.

"And _that's_ exactly why I'm not curious. Potter, those girls are blind to you're pride and arrogance. Stop strutting and there might be a slight possibility," she said.

"Really?"

"No."

She made sure to cut him short. Lily hated talking to him and she just wanted to study with Severus like she planned.

"Hey! Lily!" Severus exclaimed and Lily let out a thankful breath.

Lily turned to face James. "Will you leave me alone? I said no," she said before running over to Severus with a grin.

"What's Potter doing talking to you?" Severus growled in the darkest tone he could dig up.

She shrugged. "Asking me to Hogsmead."

Severus looked at Lily, alarmed. "And what did you say?"

"No, of course," she snorted. "You know how much I hate him."

"Good," he said before turning cautiously. He made sure to keep an eye on James the whole time they walked down the corridor. Once they turned the corner, he felt relieved.

James just watched them leave. "Snivellus..."

"What are you doing?" Remus asked as he came upon his friend.

"Why is Evans with Snivellus?" James asked bitterly.

Remus recalled the time they were in the library their first year. "I'm pretty sure they are best friends. Childhood friends, if I recall right."

James scrunched up his face in disgust. "That's terrible."

"They have a lot in common. They use the same words also. Strut, arrogant, pride. They practically share the same hate for you," Remus hinted bluntly.

"Well, I can't have that, can I?" James whispered.

"What do you mean?" Remus said, not even paying any attention.

James ran off towards the common room with a smile on his face. "She will say yes, whether she likes it or not!"

Remus looked down and nodded with a sigh. He knew James had an eye for Lily since the first time he saw her on the train. It wasn't love at first sight and Merlin knows it wasn't mutual, but it was the way James looked at her that really made Remus think. The look James had for Lily wasn't lecherousness or lust at all. Maybe curiosity? Open-mindedness? Remus couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it wasn't that look James gave every other girl he saw. Now that look was lust in its true form.

Remus chuckled to himself as he thought of the possibility James might grow up. He knew it was going to happen, he just thought it might be a little hard to adapt to because James had been immature for so long. Remus shrugged and thought of Sirius. He then realized that Sirius had no idea that Lily and James were going to fall for each other. But neither did Professor McGonnagal. Was he possibly the only one who knew how hard James was going to fall for this girl? Perhaps.


	23. Dealing with Trouble

**Seventh Year**

"I don't think some of us should be here when they wake up because they won't see tomorrow if I see their faces..." Marlene growled as she cracked her knuckles menacingly. Remus looked up urgently and set the book he was reading on the side table.

"Let's go James," he said as he dragged him out of the room with no problem. Lily was surprised at how strong Remus was, but laughed at James' struggle.

"We should go also," Mary stated. She, Marlene, and Alice waltzed out of the room which left Sirius and Lily alone.

"I am going to stay here just in case they try and attack you again," Sirius said with a smile and they began talking politely about all kinds of stuff. At first, it was hard to get Sirius talking, but as the conversation grew on, they were talking freely with fits of laughter. They were enjoying themselves quite well until it was time for Lily to leave. The two didn't notice, but when Perry and Oliver woke up, Promfrey had pulled the curtains around them.

"Thanks for staying so long! I had fun," Lily said with a grateful smile and walked down the crowded corridor. The day was halfway over so all the students were outside, enjoying the nice weather.

"Any day, my dear Lilypad," Sirius responded and they walked for awhile until they reached the tree that their group hung around. Here and there, students talked to Lily about the incident as she walked through the crowds of people. She usually just nodded, smiled, and said she was doing well. Everyone was getting excited for the Hogsmead trip the following weekend because they hadn't had one in awhile. Students were planning now and asking people to go with them so they didn't have to go alone. Lily was glad she wasn't the main topic of the day.

James got up as they arrived and hugged Sirius.

"Get the fuck off me," he hissed and pushed James against the tree.

"Thank you for taking care of my dear Lily!"

"You don't own me," Lily interrupted and sat down between Alice and Mary, who were facing the tree. Sirius sat with his back against the tree and in between Marlene and Remus. Peter and James sat on the ends of the group as they laughed about stories and jokes that came up.

"That most certainly did _not_ happen!" James shouted and crossed his arms.

"Oh yes it did!" Sirius shouted back as he crossed his arms mockingly.

"You know it did," Remus added with a half smile. James just scoffed and everyone laughed.

"Looks like it's time to go back in," Alice said with a frown. The students around them started heading in so the group got up and followed.

They were just about to go up the main stairs when a group of four or five Slytherins ran into them.

"Yeah! I heard the Mudblood got molested today," one shouted from the middle of the group.

"I heard she got injured in the process," another spurted out.

"Shame she wasn't killed," was all the last one said before James had his wand out and Remus was jumping on him.

"You'll get us in trouble!" Remus screamed as both groups went into chaos.

"Enough!" Lily screeched over them and sent a Alarte Ascendare into the air to get everyone's attention. "Go to your dormitories _now_ before I dock points and report all of you."

"On what grounds?" A Slytherin asked through the silence.

"As Head Boy and Head Girl, James and I have authority," she said, lowering her wand so it pointed at him. The Slytherins looked at each other before leaving with slouched shoulders. Lily nodded and started walking up the stairs as her friends followed with gaped mouths.

"That was amazing, Lily!" Mary exclaimed while the others agreed.

"Truly spectacular!" Alice added.

"Guys, it was nothing," Lily responded and they all jumped to disagree.

When they finally got to the common room, they all said goodnight and went up their separate staircases. They were all going to their dormitories for the night except for one of them. Lily sat on the couch in front of the fireplace and watched the flames dance on top of the logs that fueled them. James was halfway up the stairs when he decided he could take some time away from his roommates. He walked back down and trudged over to the couch, but he didn't take any notice of Lily. He sat in the armchair next to the couch and closed his eyes for a few minutes until Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She eyed him suspiciously, thinking of what she was getting herself into.


	24. At Last

**Seventh Year**

"Are you okay, James?" She asked politely.

James opened his eyes and smiled. "Sorry, I didn't know that anyone was down here."

"I don't mind," she added and looked back at the calming fire.

"Lily..." He began but she stopped him.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm fine. Truly! I'm not lying so you'll leave me alone. They were nothing. I could have taken on twelve death eaters all at the same time," she said seriously but laughed a little at herself. "Really! Don't worry about me."

He laughed at the thought of Lily taking on twelve death eaters but realized she probably could. "I was just so worried..."

"For Norwegians, they were terribly weak!"

"Poor sense of humor too!"

"Don't forget their level of flirting skills! They sounded like you during our fifth year!"

"Hey! I was magically charming my fifth year," James said in defense. Lily just laughed and they sat in silence for awhile until Lily sighed.

"What am I going to do with you?" She asked.

"What?" He turned his head to look at her but Lily had already walked over to him and sat on the arm of the chair. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "What am I going to do with you?" She repeated and pulled him onto the couch. He tripped a bit and lost his balance so he fell on top of her. He was laying on top of her while she was laying helplessly underneath him. They both laughed at their clumsiness but neither of them moved. They just stared into each others eyes with tension holding them back.

"Sorry about that... I tried to be ridiculously charming to show you what charming was. I guess I'm too awkward to pull you onto a couch without tripping at all," Lily muttered but she really wasn't all that sorry.

"I don't mind..." James murmured back. She closed her eyes for a second and pushed her face slightly upward until their noses were touching. She giggled because she was too awkward to even kiss him. He turned his head slightly and pushed his face downward so their lips were mere centimeters away.

"James..." Lily whispered to begin talking but decided against it. She pushed her head upwards and theirs lips met for a couple of heavenly seconds.

"That was perfect," James whispered and she blushed. "Considering the fact that you've never kissed anyone."

"That's not true! Although, I'll take the compliment as is..." She said completely flabbergasted.

"Oh? You have kissed someone before me?"

"Rory! At the Gryffindor party you threw last year, we snogged behind this couch!"

"Nuh uh! That can't be true."

"Well it is."

James laughed and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you like me alright."

Lily punched his chest lightly with a chuckle. "You're cute."

"Awe. I was hoping for sexy," he said sadly as he drooped his head on top of hers.

"I don't know yet," was all she said before she rolled off of the couch from underneath him and jumped up with a yawn. "We should probably head off to bed. Tomorrow's our last day before we go back to terrible school."

"Lily doesn't like school?" He asked as he got up also and towered over her with a smirk.

"Who does? Now come on!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. The problem was the fact that he wouldn't move and he just so happened to be stronger than her. He pulled her back into a hug and he held her close.

"So soon? Why?" He asked and pulled her away far enough he could look at her without letting her go.

"Because I said so!" She exclaimed, stood on her toes, kissed his cheek, and started pulling him towards the stairs again. He pulled her back, but this time, into a passionate kiss. They drew their energy from each other fiercely and they were lost in the kiss.

James closed his eyes as Lily lowered her kisses to his neck. Just when things were getting intimate, Lily slipped out of James' grip.

"Lily... Lily?" He shouted when he opened his eyes and saw she was running towards the stairs. "A goodnight kiss, at least?"

"You got more than that tonight!" She laughed and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for the great night. Next time, take me on a date!"

James opened his eyes completely in surprise. "How about the next Hogsmead trip?"

"Isn't that next weekend?"

"I think so... We can go with a group."

"Oh yeah. Okay, I'll meet you here when the time comes."

"For sure. Sweet dreams and goodnight, my Lilypad."

Lily kissed his cheek once more before running up the stairs and disappearing into the darkness.

James ran a hand through his hair and jumped upward victoriously. This was really Lily and not some girl he was hooking up with. This was the real deal and he wasn't about to mess it up.


	25. That Stupid, Silly, Old Hat

**Fifth Year**

Lily Evans sat in the cold, rain watching her Quidditch team recklessly play the Hufflepuff team.

"Lils, we should probably head out," Alice suggested and stood up next to her.

"No!" Lily shouted and Alice grinned maliciously.

"It's because of James, isn't it? You wanted to say yes to his Hogsmead date, but you said no. You're regretting it, aren't you?" Alice gasped. "Lily has a crush!"

Lily looked over at Alice furiously. "No, I want to support Marly. You know I always do!" she retorted and Alice laughed.

"You have tried to miss so many Quidditch games in the past even though Marly asked you so many times to come and watch. I'm sure that's why..."

"Are you implying I fancy Potter?"

"Yes, indeed I am."

Lily couldn't argue with Alice any longer because she was trying to concentrate. Lily didn't understand a second of Quidditch so it was hard for her to follow along.

"Hey Lily," Severus said.

Alice looked up at the boy with the slimy, black hair and the big, hooked nose. "See ya, Lily. Tell Marlene congrats for me."

"Wait, Alice!" Lily called, but Alice was long gone. None of Lily's friends liked being around Lily when Severus was there because he was super overprotective over Lily. They didn't like being around Severus alone, for that matter. He was so rude to all of them. Lily just didn't see it.

Severus sat down next to Lily. "She'll be fine. You two will see each other in your dorm room."

"I just wanted to discuss something... Never mind. It's not important now," Lily shivered. She was getting irritated at the fact that she couldn't tell who was who in the pouring rain. That is, until James came flying over.

"Evans!" He shouted before winking and giving her the usual flirtatious gun fingers, pretending to shoot her with his charm. The girls around her started gossiping and screaming about what just happened.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sod off, Potter. I said no."

Severus smiled at Lily's reaction and glared at James. "Potter. I believe Lily said sod off."

James looked down at Severus and sneered.

A girl behind Lily tapped her shoulder and leaned in to talk to her. "Lily Evans, right? I think you meant yes."

Lily burst into snorts of laughter as James flew back into the game. "You're one of them, aren't you? So blind."

"What do you mean by that?" The girl asked indignantly.

"You're so blind to his arrogance and pride," Lily said.

Severus turned with a chuckle. "Don't forget the way he struts around."

"But James is so much more! He is so cautious of his surroundings and he-"

"Yeah, save it for the people who actually care," Severus growled and he got up to leave. "I'll be in the library."

Lily nodded. "Walk me to the locker rooms?" Severus and Lily left with the girl in fits of anger.

When they arrived, Lily leaned against the wall on the outside of the locker rooms.

"Why do you hang with her?" Severus said, a bit harshly.

Lily frowned. "Who?"

"McKinnon! She's so... Sluttish! You know? Always snogging a boy in the broom closet. I'm pretty sure shagging is the least she does," he replied.

"Marlene?" Lily asked. "Are you talking about Marly?"

Severus saw Lily's eyes go bitter so he stepped down. "I didn't mean it the way I said it. That was rude..."

Lily just nodded with a stone cold expression. "I'll see you later," she said, as if to say it was a good time to leave.

"See ya," he said and walked up to the castle. Severus hated the fact that Lily was in Gryffindor. Everyday, he wished they could go back to their first year and whisper 'Slytherin' into the old hat's ear. He wished he could go back to make sure Lily never met the stupidly whorish Marlene, the sarcastically rude Mary, and the annoyingly loud Alice. They were the worst roommates Lily could have ever gotten. He thought that if Lily was in Slytherin, she could have had better roommates. Roommates that actually deserved being in Lily's company. He just wished Lily would stop hanging around them and hang with him more often. Severus could wish, but none of it would come true. All because Lily was put into Gryffindor. All because some stupid, silly, old hat thought it knew what was best. And if it was one thing that he hated, it was that hat. That stupid, old hat.


	26. Old, Worn Smiles

**Seventh Year**

"I KNEW IT!" Alice exclaimed triumphantly. She jumped up and down on her bed excitedly as Mary sat next a bed over from her friend, giggling at her. "I did call it, didn't I?"

"We all knew it was going to happen," Mary said coolly.

Marlene shook her head with a large smile on her face. "I mean, it was obvious."

Lily shrugged and toppled onto Marlene's bed. "You all have gone barking mad. I don't know what you all are talking about."

"Come on, Lily. You have started liking him since sixth year," Alice mentioned and Mary nodded.

"I saw it fifth year," Mary added.

Marlene agreed. "I remember... That time after you finally saw Snape for who he really was."

Lily's face went stone cold when she heard the name and she sat up. "I'm indifferent towards him."

"See? You won't even say his name!" Marlene reminded her.

"Let's just pop out the firewhiskey and get this party pumpin'!" Alice shouted.

Mary always kept the firewhiskey underneath her bed for the parties her friends had. Marlene was the one who smuggled it in from Sirius and Alice was the one who hid it. She knew no one would ever look underneath Mary's bed because Mary was the least suspicions out of all of them and her bed was the furthest away from the door. The logic worked every time.

"Gimme some of that. I'm gonna need it for the week I've had," Marlene huffed.

Lily took a swig of the bottle she received and frowned. "Didn't wittoh owd Siwius make it bettoh?"

"Not funny," Marlene growled, "and that's not why. He and I just shag and that's the end of it. No, every single professor gave me essays for next week. I don't know how I'll complete them in time!"

"Why didn't you start them already?" Lily shouted.

Malrene chortled. "You know that's not how I roll."

"We'll work on them tomorrow. Promise," Lily patted her on the back and looked at Alice. "Well, what kind of week have you had?"

Alice's face morphed into the most mischievous face and everyone groaned. Alice was known for her talking. It was strange when there was a moment she was silent. The only time she kept her mouth shut for more than two minutes was with her friends. They taught her when it was the best time to talk and when it was the worst moment to talk. She had been improving, but she still fell down a little when it came to summaries. If a professor told Alice to give a brief description of the passage she just read, a brief 'F' was given to Alice in return. She was never very accelerated at keeping something short and sweet. On one of her reports, the professor wrote in the comments, "Very friendly with her neighbors." Alice took that as a compliment.

"And then I jumped on the bed yelling, 'I KNEW IT!' and then Mary-"

"We were there. We know," Mary interrupted, pushing Alice off of her bed to keep her from reenacting the last five minutes.

Alice jumped on top of Mary and wrestled her until they were too hot to continue.

"Well, I think you know how my week went... How about you Mary?" Lily said.

Mary brushed her hair out of her face and flicked the dirt off of her shoulder. "Just the usual..." Her thoughts shot to Remus and all the time they spent together that week. Her cheeks flushed as her friends looked suspiciously at her.

"I know that face..." Alice grumbled and tried to think of when she saw that face before. Her eyes lit up and she grinned. "MARY HAS A CRUSH! MARY LIKES BOYS!"

"No! That's not true!" Mary exclaimed.

Alice snorted. "No longer in love with Percy from the books you read?"

"Ew! Gross, Alice!" Mary shrieked and wrestled her to the ground.

Lily chuckled and grabbed another bottle of firewhiskey as she had just finished the one she was drinking before.

Marlene grabbed a fourth bottle with a burp. "Cheers to new relationships... And crushes."

Mary hissed. "To essays that spring on us unexpectedly."

"You can't dedicate one of our famous cheers to that!" Marlene yelled.

"You just dedicated a false rumor! If you can do that, then I can do whatever I want!" Mary yelled back.

"To fights that pop up anew," Alice interrupted before they could claw out each others eyes. "And end too quickly."

Lily laughed before placing her bottle into the air with the other girl's drinks. "And to this crazy bunch! I'm pretty sure we were all sane before we met..."

"Well, except Mary," Alice whispered.

"Hey!" Mary shouted.

"Cheers!" They shouted together, all wearing old, worn smiles that could never be worn out completely. This was their time and it was just beginning.


	27. A Friendship That Would Last a Lifetime

**Fifth Year**

"Marly, congrats on the win! At least I think..." Lily said as she leaned against Marlene's Quidditch locker.

Marlene walked in, covered in mud, and laughed. "Yeah, we won! You're catching on!"

Lily shook her head. "I just heard the cheers from in here. Didn't stay to watch the winning catch."

"So that's how you knew! You never understand when a team has won or not!" Marlene said and turned to see their team come in, shirtless. "Am I missing out?"

Sirius stretched a little to show off his abs. "Missing out on what?"

Marlene yanked off her shirt to reveal a muddy sports bra. "The shirtless thing!"

"Put your shirt back on!" Lily exclaimed and pretended to shield her eyes. But Lily could have sworn she saw Sirius's pupils dilate.

"WE WON!" James screamed as he slapped Sirius back into reality. James looked over and stopped immediately when he caught sight of Lily. "Evans? You're not a team member."

Lily folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "So what?"

"Usually members of the team are the only ones allowed in here."

"Is there something wrong with bringing a friend fresh, new clothes to change into?"

"Well, I guess not but-"

"Yeah, so I'd suggest you hold your tongue."

Marlene sighed loudly and smiled. "It's fine! She'll be leaving soon so no worries!"

James looked at Marlene and smirked. "Oh, I have no problem with Evans being here."

"And why not? It sounded like you did," Lily growled.

"I was confused, that's all. Now you have plenty of time to say yes to my question," James said and looked back at Lily.

Lily sighed. "I'm not going on a date with you."

"I wasn't even going to say that!" James said with a laugh.

Lily sighed louder this time. "Then what were you going to say?"

"May I escort you to Hogsmead this weekend?" James simpered.

"Oh! Escort is a large word for you! I'm proud," Lily said sarcastically.

James rolled his eyes and turned to face his team. "Let's get changed and go celebrate!"

Marlene walked over to Lily and grabbed her folded clothes. "You even folded my knickers! Classy."

Lily winked. "You know I always do. I picked out the one with the polka dots because I know how much you love that pattern. Oh! And I made sure to match them to your bra."

"Lily! You are outta town!" Marlene gasped, very impressed with Lily's work. "Good job."

Sirius peeked from behind a set of lockers near Marlene's and snuck up from behind Marlene. He peered over her shoulder and snatched the bra that was folded carefully in the middle of the set of clothes. He pulled it over his head and ran around while Marlene ran after him.

"You're such a dog, Sirius! Give it back!" Marlene shouted and Lily giggled.

"They are going to end up together," James whispered.

Lily looked over at James, who was too close for comfort. "Wow... Take a step back and simmer down. If you mean by, 'end up together' as 'casually shagging in the broom closet' then I would agree. But it wouldn't be very long until one of them got sick of the other."

James looked down with a furrowed brow. "Someone likes to ruin the mood."

"I'm just being realistic," she replied. "And I'm pretty sure you're the same way."

"Same way?" He turned to look at the team as he lowered his voice. "What ever do you mean, Evans?"

Lily turned to face him completely and huffed. "Oh, you know exactly what I mean. One moment, you're shagging some girl you just met and then she's history the next."

He smiled at the memories. "I used to, didn't I?"

"Used to? You still do, Potter."

"That was a long time ago! In my past! Name the last time I did that."

"Last week."

"With whom?"

"Sarah or Jane or that girl, Lisa."

"I don't think I've ever been with a girl named Lisa."

"I'm surprised you even remember some of the girl's names."

"How is that surprising?"

"You shag girls on a daily basis."

"No! I most certainly do not!"

"Is there something wrong with your memory? You seem to be forgetting things."

"My memory is perfectly fine, thank you very much."

"Oh, right. You don't remember specific events because it happens on a daily basis and you've just gotten so used to it."

Marlene interrupted their conversation when she clicked her locker open and shoved her muddy clothes in it.

"Where and when did you get changed?" Lily asked.

"When Sirius finally gave me my bra back and eventually gave me some privacy," she growled. Sirius waved from the other side of the locker room with a large smile.

At that moment, a girl came screaming as she sprinted into the locker room. "FRANK LIKES ME!"

Lily whirled to face Alice. "What?!"

Marlene sniggered loudly. "Frank Longbottom?"

Alice nodded and pulled Lily into a bone-crushing hug. "FRANK LONGBOTTOM!"

"Congratulations Alice, but it's bad enough Evans is in here," Sirius laughed.

"Oh, just be happy for her. She's had a crush on him for years," Lily said as she punched him.

"But how do you even know for sure he likes you?" Sirius asked Alice and she stopped her celebration to smile even brighter.

"Nick told me! Nick! Nick! His best friend! Nick!" Alice screamed.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Okay! We heard you say Nick the first time... But anyway, if he were really his best friend, he wouldn't have told anyone who his best friend liked."

Alice's face fell and it hit rock bottom. "Wh- wha- what?"

Lily pushed Sirius back as she wrapped her arm around Alice. "He meant to say he didn't know Nick was friends with Frank! Right, Sirius?"

"Yeah... Right," Sirius growled.

Alice slowly nodded her head. "Oh, right. Silly me..."

They all walked out of the locker room so they could celebrate. Alice was keeping her hopes as high as the stars for Frank while James tried to do the same for Lily. James knew he was going to get her to say yes, but there was no harm in hoping. Marlene couldn't help thinking about the firewhiskey and butterbeer while Sirius did the same for Marlene. Sirius laughed at himself because Marlene was so attractive, but he didn't know if she would be up for what he was thinking about. He shrugged and nudged Lily. Even though Sirius and Lily fought a lot, they always ended up laughing together at the end of the day. Lily had the kind of humor Sirius could relate to. She and he could be sarcastic and not get offended. He hoped this would turn into a great friendship and for some reason, he knew it would last a lifetime.

_Note from Me:_

_Sorry about the strange updates. I have been on vacation and it was hard for me to get on and update. It's hard to have scattered wifi signals. Fortunately, I have plenty of chapters to share and you will have much more to read in the future! I'm really excited because there will be some fun chapters coming up:) But bare with me as I might be going on vacation once more so updating will be sporadic like the last week. _

_Cheerio!_


	28. Lone Wolf

**Seventh Year**

"Is it true? Did it really happen?" was what Lily heard all morning. It had seemed that the night with James had gotten around before she even woke up. Lily was expecting to have a casual morning where she would talk to her friends and hopefully James, but she got more than that. Everyone wanted to know if they were going out, did she hate him, did she like him, were they going to have more nights like these, was this a one night thing. Lily wanted to put a wand to her head.

"I AM HUNGRY!" Lily shrieked and ran past the questioning students. She sat down next to Remus and sighed.

"Are you alright?" Remus asked.

Lily looked over and smiled. "You're a great friend, Remus."

Remus looked back at her. "Thank you, but why do you say that?"

"You're the first one who hasn't asked me about James today," she said.

Remus nodded and took a bite of his sausage. "Well, I heard the whole ordeal last night."

"Typical James," Lily chuckled.

Remus laughed. "Are you kidding me? I swear, even when you look at him, he makes a huge deal out of it. 'MOONY MOONY! EVANS JUST GLANCED AT ME AND I SWEAR SHE WINKED!' I'm pretty sure you were probably blinking."

Lily laughed with Remus. "Merlin... So what's new with you? I haven't seen you in awhile so something must have come up."

"I have just been reading. Did you know that although the Thestral's appearance is quite frightening, their personality is merely the opposite. Once trained upon meeting a witch or wizard that has seen death or something ghostly, the creature can become very obedient and will take flight to wherever the witch or wizard desires. Interesting, huh?" Remus asked as he raised up an old book that had a small sketch of a fully grown Thestral.

Lily grimaced at the picture. "_That's_ what they look like? I'm glad I've never seen anyone die before..."

Remus chuckled. "So really. How do you feel about James? The last time we talked, you seemed to be growing fond of him. You even claimed 'acquaintances' as your status. Or did you say that 'acquaintances' was perhaps an insufficient word to use for your relationship with James?"

"I believe 'friendship' is a good way to describe our relationship at the moment," Lily added. "But just between you and me-"

"You know it always is."

"I recently admitted the growing feelings I have been feeling lately for James to him. Well, you probably already know that, but we should acknowledge that information first. Last night, I agreed to go on a date with James. I thought maybe last night was an appropriate time so we both had all night to think it over. I think the time overnight has given me full confidence that I meant the words I spoke the night before. So I say that the relationship between James and I is growing and maturing into something more than friendship," Lily concluded.

Remus smiled. "I believe you deduced that situation very well."

"It's only natural," she said and they laughed.

"Merlin, I swear it's like you two are speaking a different language," Sirius groaned and grabbed three, clean plates.

"It's kind of like when you and James talk. I can never keep up with the nonsense," Lily retorted.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "We are understandable when we wish to be."

"So how are you, Sirius? Have a late night again?" She asked, actually wanting to know how he was doing.

"Last night was a bit strange. Peter and I were talking about a girl he met the other day when James came bustling into the room. He was speaking so fast, I couldn't keep up. We finally got, 'Lily' and 'kiss' so we assumed you two shared a goodnight kiss. It's only natural to swap spit before drifting off to your dreams," Sirius said in a mocking voice.

Lily frowned. "Gross! Don't say that. 'Swap spit' just makes it sound so much worse."

Sirius shrugged. "James was so overwhelmed, he slept like a log. We all agreed not to wake him of any wet dreams he might have had so we all hit the hay. It was _so _boring."

"But I hear James isn't the only one with the potential of having wet dreams. A certain McKinnion has recently found a new partner she has taken great interest in," Lily winked.

"Okay! We shag! That's all!" Sirius exclaimed.

Remus chuckled because he knew there was something going on with Sirius just like he knew there was something going on with James a few years back. He saw these things pretty early and it makes him laugh when he watches it all play out in front of him. Remus just wished he could experience the same thing. Yes, Remus has had crushes but he knew he could never really become serious with someone. A burden like his would scare any girl away. Single is what Remus planned to stay forever. It's not the fact that he doesn't want to fall in love. He couldn't unless he wanted to put that girl in danger for the rest of her life. He didn't want that for anyone. He decided that the phrase 'lone wolf' was easily directed towards him. And a lone wolf he would stay.


	29. A Kind of Affection

**Sixth Year**

"Is Alice okay?" Remus asked and Mary looked over the stunned looking girl who was making animal noises.

"She's just in shock," Mary whispered casually.

Remus couldn't help form laughing. "Is she still on that Frank thing? Wasn't that like a year ago?"

Mary nodded. "Oh Merlin, yes. I don't know if she'll ever let that go. He looked at her and said hi again in class today so she's still in shock. I swear, she'd marry some other guy, but she wouldn't shut up about Frank..."

"What if Frank doesn't like her and she's just getting her hopes up way too high?" Remus asked and Mary hushed him.

"Don't let her hear that... But yes. I think it's quite unwise and illogical for her to be so happy, but why would I break her spirits? She's so happy and that's the best thing anyone could ever ask for," Mary said with a smile towards Alice.

The students around them were quite overwhelmed with Gryffindor at the moment. First, James Potter was asking Lily Evans out on a date. Perhaps falling love with her. Second, Frank was rumored to fancying Alice. And lastly, their Quidditch team was swooping the pitch with victories. The common room was always full of questioning students and Mary and Remus just couldn't study in that room. Spending their time studying in the library, it was difficult to keep Alice quiet unless they used a number of spells or potions. Of course, they would have to use spells or potions if they didn't know Frank well enough for him to do them a favor.

Frank Longbottom knew Alice had fancied him for quite sometime, but he didn't know Alice very well. Being slightly popular, he had a lot of girls taking interest in him, but he wasn't very interested in return. He liked his studies and learning about defeating dark magic, but among those did not include girls. Don't get him wrong, he liked girls alright, he was just more interested in school. That is, until Frank found out Alice liked the same thing. Alice wanted to become an Auror and defend victims helpless against the dark arts. Frank nearly jumped for joy when he figured out they liked the same thing. He decided maybe he should give Alice a chance. Alice did get him to think differently about girls so he thought why not.

In his investigation of finding out who Alice was, he figured out she was very good friends with Lily, Marlene, and Mary.

Lily was so kind to him the first time they met. She bumped into him in a corridor near the common room and their school books went everywhere. In a frantic hurry, Lily rushed to organize both their papers and books. Even though in such a hurry, she still managed to apologize profusely, ask him who he was, and in what house he belonged to so she could have a proper conversation with him later. Frank just smiled and nodded. She was a nice girl, he just wished he could have talked to her more. There was something about her, the way that he was attracted to her in a friendly way. He had never really been able to talk to girls, or rather want to, but Lily made it easy for him to talk freely with no boundaries. Every time after that, he made sure to get in a word with Lily because she seemed like a friend he could keep. On the downside, he didn't keep up with her as much as he would have liked, but a friendly word and smile in the corridors with her was enough for him.

He was glad he was on such good terms with Lily, but then it came to Marlene. He wasn't sure what was going on between them. One drunk night, Marlene had unknowingly hit on Frank at a Gryffindor party in the common room. She laughed and pushed him around, but of course, Frank had no idea how to react. He didn't know how to talk to girls so he just walked away. When he saw Marlene in the morning, she had no idea who he was and slumped over from the major headache that was pounding in her head. Frank didn't know what kind of terms he was on with her so he just decided since it wasn't bad terms, he would be alright.

And then there was Mary. Mary was all sorts of strange. She was very shy and quiet in class, but whenever he saw her with Alice, he swore she was a five year old again. Alice and Mary seemed to be the best of friends and they always smiled when they were around each other. That was of course when they weren't wrestling. They acted like they were ten years younger then they actually were and he just guessed it was because they were such good friends. Mary was not only just crazy around Alice, she was never in the mood for other people. If you weren't her friend and she didn't know you, she wanted nothing to do with you. Sarcastically mean was how most people described her. Upon meeting, Frank was partnered up with her and she decided she was going to do the worksheet on her own. She informed him that if he wanted to work with her, the most that would happen would be copying down her answers. He replied with, 'no thank you. I think I can manage on my own'. Doing the worksheet and getting done before her, he checked answers and smiled at her. He told her that checking answers was a form of working together and she seemed fine with it so he said she could check answers with him anytime she'd like. Mary wasn't too keen on even acknowledging his existence at first, but this show in kindness changed her attitude about him. She flashed him a smile and told him he was alright. From then on, checking answers was a regular occurrence for the two of them. Their terms weren't perfect either, but at least he didn't have to worry.

Frank saw Alice as a girl who got excited about _everything._ And if Alice felt like she wasn't doing something quite peppy enough, she'd splash water on herself and make herself become ten times more peppy then she needed to be. He saw it as strange the first time, but the more he hung around her, the more he wanted to jump up and down with her. He admitted, he wasn't the kind of guy who would be caught dead screaming over a cute fish in the lake, but Alice let him step out of his comfort zone. He once called a fish, a fishie. He just couldn't help himself when he was around her. But Frank realized that he was getting distracted from school and Alice was just making it harder for him to become an Auror. He wanted to ignore her and try to stay away from anything Alice until he found out they shared similar interests. He thought maybe, just maybe, he would be able to concentrate on school while at the same time, concentrate on Alice. It was perfect! He just didn't know if Alice still fancied him the way she used to.

"Oi! Longbottom!" Mary hissed and Frank looked up from his studying table. He was with a couple of different friends, reading about plants for Herbology.

"Don't be so rude," Remus muttered to Mary as she waved Frank over.

Frank stood and walked to them. "What's up?"

Remus smiled politely. "Do you think you could do us a little favor?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?" He asked.

Mary pointed at Alice, who was loudly fumbling through books and screeching happily whenever she saw the words, 'Frank', 'long', or 'bottom'. "Could you go talk to her or something? We're not forcing you to fancy her or anything crazy like that! I know I never would... But she's just being loud and if the librarian gets back in time to hear her, we'll all be in big trouble."

A smile flashed onto Frank's face as he nodded. "Of course! It's a pleasure talking to her."

"What. Talking to Alice? Alice Prewett? That girl right over there? That girl? The one being louder than a hurricane? That one?" Mary interrogated and he nodded. "You've got to be joking..."

He made a strange looking face at her. "Um... Aren't you two, like, best friends?"

Mary snorted and nudged Remus. "'Friends' is pushing it... Well, anyway... How do you even talk to her? She talks _at_ you, pretty much, and you barely even get two words in!"

"I don't like talking much and her silly nonsense fills the silence I dislike so much. I don't know, I think she's very insightful and smart if you actually listen to what she's saying. It may take her a couple of minutes to get out what she needs to say, but when she does, it means a lot. Her positive energy just helps me through a rough day," he smiled and walked over to Alice.

Mary's jaw dropped as she watched Frank leave with determined and soft eyes. "Um... What did I just hear?"

Remus chuckled at her and opened his book. "A kind of affection that will turn into a great love someday."


	30. Something Going On

**Seventh Year**

James leaned back in his chair and looked over at Lily. She was listening intently to whatever Professor Slughorn had for them that day, but for some reason, she looked a little dazed. James knew the face that she made when she was concentrating and the face that she was making at the moment was definitely not the one. She had seemed a little off the past few days and he didn't know why. Of course he could say it was because of his devilish charm, but he didn't think that was the case. It never was.

Lily looked back at James and smiled at him. James's chair slammed on the ground as he smiled stupidly back.

"Mr. Potter, are you alright?" Professor Slughorn asked and moved around his desk so he could see better. Lily giggled as James turned red in the cheeks.

"Yes, professor. Sorry," James said.

Professor Slughorn went straight back to lecturing. He asked a couple of questions a few seconds later and noticed Lily wasn't answering any of them.

"And Miss Evans. Do you think you could tell me?" Professor Slughorn asked, but Lily wasn't giving him any of her attention. "Miss Evans?"

"Oh, right! I'm sorry professor... Just a little sleepy. What was the question?" She exclaimed.

Professor Slughorn gave her a strange look before repeating himself. "In the recent study we just read, what do the group of wizards plan on making in order to cure an everyday werewolf?"

Lily smiled, thankful she had already read about it in the Daily Prophet. "With a potion, of course. But the werewolf isn't specifically guaranteed a perfect cure. The group of wizards tell us the potion will only be able to tame the creature during full moons."

"Perfect answer, Miss Evans! I was quite worried there for a second. So if we conclude that taming a werewolf..." Professor Slughorn droned on and turned to face the poster he had hanging at the front of the room.

James looked worriedly at Lily because whenever a teacher asked her a question, she wouldn't miss a beat in answering and impressing the teacher with her knowledge. He wondered what had gotten her so dazed.

"But don't be fooled. Werewolves are very diligent during a full moon and can snatch you up before you know what's going on. You may say werewolves are violent creatures, beasts of the night, but if you ask me, they are quite calm people who were chosen unwillingly. It's not entirely their fault they became victim to the full moon. Keep an open mind and stay alert." Professor Slughorn finished class with an unconvincing attention grabber. Letting class go, Remus packed up and booked it to his next class.

"Hey, Lily," James said and Lily looked over.

She put her last book in her bag and smiled. "Hey, James. What's up?"

"You seemed like you weren't paying any attention to Slughorn today. What's wrong?" He asked.

Lily shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I couldn't stop thinking about the strangest things."

James lifted an eyebrow. "What kinds of things?"

"LILY! Hey! So that class was boring... Oh. Hey, James!" Marlene shouted happily. "Lily, Let's head off to lunch."

"I have another class, remember? I can't make it to lunch until afterward," Lily replied.

Marlene whimpered. "Another late lunch _again_? Sorry, I'm not waiting for you today. I'm hungry!"

"Make sure to get some vegetables. You never eat any," Lily reminded her, but Marlene was already running out the door.

"Right! See ya!" She shouted and ran to catch up with Sirius.

James looked down at Lily and walked her to the door. "But really. What's on your mind?"

Lily didn't want to tell him she had been thinking of him all day because she knew of the huge head he got whenever she complimented him so she just shook her head. "Sorry! I have class to get to! I'm going to be late!"

James sighed and walked down to the Great Hall. He knew there was something bugging her, he just wanted to know what it was. He decided he could ask her on the Hogsmead date they were going to have the upcoming weekend so fretting was the last thing he was going to do. It took him awhile, but it finally hit him that he was going on a date with Lily Evans. A smile covered his face as he skipped down to lunch. He knew it was going to be a long week, but at least it was going to be a good one.

_Note from me:_

_Hey, I told you guys that I'd be gone for awhile! I'm back now and I've powered up my computer for more chapters! I just realized how dumb that sounded... Anyway, you guys are so supportive and awesome, I can't thank any of you enough! Just make sure to keep reviewing so I can reflect upon my writing. Tell me how you like couples or how you hate them. (Of course tell me why.) Tell me what characters you love or strongly dislike. If you have a distaste for hearing about the main couple, JILY, tell me that you want a little more background on Mary or Peter. (Sorry I don't write a lot of chapters with Peter...) If you want less background characters and more main couple, tell me what you love about Jily! Anyway, review, review, review! _

_Cheerio!_


	31. Never Been So Excited

**Sixth Year**

"Hi," Frank whispered softly.

Alice dropped the three books she was holding and turned to face the speaker. "F-Frank?"

Frank smiled and picked up the books for her. "Do you need help with those?"

"With what?" Alice asked and then looked at the many stacks of books she knocked off of the shelf. "Oh... That..."

"Here," he said and put away the three books that were supposed to go in the top shelf. "I'm tall so I can reach the higher up shelves."

Alice just watched him put away books with mesmerized eyes. "Yeah..."

"Do you want to put this one away?" He asked her as he handed her a book that she could put away easily.

"Oh!" She shook her head and tried to concentrate, but her eyes always seemed to want to wander.

Frank laughed as she slammed a book against another book when attempting to put it away. "You seem like you have something on your mind."

Alice shook her head, her face blank from excitement. "No..."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "You always seem keen on talking, but all of a sudden, you're not saying a word."

She just blushed and smiled like a four year old. "I'm not very talkative..."

Frank snorted as she looked down. "I'm afraid you're wrong about that. Alice, you talk more in one day than I do all year."

Alice giggled nervously. "Are you and Nick best friends?"

"Yeah," he frowned. "Why?"

"He told me something about you. Well, it was more like a rumor about you," Alice whispered very quietly.

Frank frowned even more. "And what was that?"

Alice hated seeing Frank upset so she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No," Frank said softly and walked over to her so they were inches away. "It's okay. You can tell me."

Alice looked up as her breath hitched and her heart jumped into her throat so she couldn't speak. "I-I..."

Frank smiled. "It's okay. I won't get mad."

"He told me you liked me, but he was probably joking around and he probably meant you liked me as a friend or person or something..." Alice exclaimed.

"No, he's right," Frank said bluntly. He didn't exactly imagine this to be how Alice found out he liked her, but he decided why not.

Alice stopped sputtering nonsense as she looked up. She had liked Frank for years, but never had she ever imagined him even giving her two glances. He was that smart, kind, cute guy that all the girls liked so it felt like she had no chance. She thought all the pretty girls would get the perfect guy, but here she was, so close to Frank she could touch him. She always laughed at how silly she was, but Frank was talking to her and Alice didn't know what to do.

"He's right about what? Because I like you as a friend or person or something too," Alice mumbled.

Frank held her hands and chuckled at himself for what he was going to say next. "No, I like like you."

Alice remembered all the times she had used that phrase, but people just gave her a weird look. That was a phrase everyone used when they were seven, but she seemed to be the only one still using it. That is, until Frank said it. Alice didn't know what to say. She wanted to kiss him, but she had never kissed anyone before. She wanted to hug him, but she felt like that would be weird. She had so many things going around her mind, she fainted.

"Alice? Alice?" Frank reacted quickly and pulled her close so he could catch her.

Mary sped over with Remus at her heels and she felt Alice's head. A cool feeling of relief splashed over her as she realized what had happened. "She fainted."

Frank looked up at Mary worriedly. "You act like it has happened before!"

"Yeah, when you first said hi to her during our first or second year," Mary said with a chuckle.

"What?!" Frank shouted.

"You said hi, she smiled, you walked away, she fainted. That was the first time of course. She usually faints when she gets really excited. When she found out her brother would be coming home for Christmas, she fainted. They are really close," Mary replied, rolling her eyes.

Frank lifted Alice so he could carry her in his arms. "I'll get her to the Hospital Wing."

Mary nodded. "I'll come with."

Remus smiled at them. "I'll put our books away so the librarian doesn't scold us again... Once I'm done with that, I'll go tell Marlene and Lily because they will want to be with her when she wakes up."

"Good thinking, Remus." Mary helped Frank through the corridors and opened doors for him as they headed to the Hospital Wing.

_Note from me:_

_Your reviews were awesome! Keep them coming! I will be updating more chapters as the week pushes on, but the story is nearly halfway over! I have to finish the story before I have to start working and going to school once again. I might keep it going through the year and only update on weekends if you guys want to extend it. I will gladly extend it if so! But you're just going to have to bare with me! _

_Keep reviewing._

_Cheerio!_


	32. Hogsmead At Last

**Seventh Year**

"You actually came! I mean, glad you could make it," James coughed as he spotted Lily at the foot of the stairs. She was accompanied by Mary and Marlene.

"Well of course she did! She's, like, in love with you," Mary said rolling her eyes. Lily punched her in the stomach and James' eyes glistened.

"Where's Sirius?" Marlene asked. James laughed and turned to reveal a hungover Sirius coming down the stairs behind him.

"Again? When do you stop drinking in your dorm?" Lily asked. Sirius stumbled past James and leaned on Marlene.

"I Can't... Find... Potion..." He mumbled and Marlene summoned one. It arrived as quickly as she flipped her wand out.

"Life saver..." Was all he got out as a sign of gratitude before he downed the colorless liquid.

Lily couldn't help chuckling at the two of them. She knew they said they were only casually shagging, but Marlene was just so quick to help him. She couldn't help thinking...

"Does anyone know where Remus is?" Mary asked impatiently. Everyone looked at her weird and James frowned.

"Excuse me... What?!" His voice rose and he turned completely towards her.

"Are you going to Hogsmead with him?" Marlene asked and Mary turned bright red.

"We are just friends and all... It's not a big thing..."

"Yes we are going together. We thought since we were the only ones in the group going single that we would go as friends. We do study together all the time anyway," Remus boomed down the stairs and took each step cautiously.

Everyone looked from Mary to the entering Remus with doubtful and curious eyes.

Lily turned to Mary and raised an eyebrow at her. "Mary! What in Merlin's trousers are you thinking? You didn't tell me? Why not?"

Mary felt pelted by Lily's questions and comments so she took a breath and closed her eyes to regain her thoughts. "Well... I was going to tell you and Marly, but you two were always gone! I mean... I had plenty of time during the day, but I wanted to tell you in our dorm, at night, so no one else could overhear. Every night, it was just Alice and I. Marly was there Friday, but I felt I should tell you two at the same time. It kind of slipped out when I was with Alice so she knows. Don't be offended! I'm sorry!"

"Well it has happened and we should leave now," Marlene hissed and pulled the group out of the common room. They shuffled behind her until Marlene said they had gotten to a safe distance outside of the common room.

"What the hell, Marly?" Lily growled and the others nodded in agreement.

"Tony was in there. He says he is all the way from New York. You know, the one with the really strange accent!"

"Exotic is what I say..." Mary said dazedly and Marlene shot her a look.

"Well... He asked me to Hogsmead and I turned him down because I was waiting for this bloke to buck up and ask me. But Tony kept after me until I finally said yes to shut him up!"

"You here that, Lily? Marlene gave in after a week! It took you two years," James exclaimed and Lily punched him. He cradled his arm pathetically as he smirked slightly. "Ouch! What's with you and punching today?"

Lily just rolled her eyes. "Keep talking, Marly."

"Anyway... Sirius eventually asked me to Hogsmead and I, of course, said yes. The only problem was to bail on Tony. So I went up to him and said I couldn't go because I was studying. He believed it!" She finished and everyone laughed. The thought of Marlene studying was the last thought they could think of.

"Really? Studying was the best you could come up with?" Lily asked and scoffed at her.

"Oh sod off! So if he asks you all about me, I'm studying in the library or in my dorm. Got it?" She gave them a thumbs up and started walking away.

"Where's Alice? She's always with you guys. Usually, she would make a witty remark about how dumb that is and threaten to confront Tony..." Remus trailed away with a smile.

"She went off with an older gentleman... Frank Longbottom!" Mary shrieked but Marlene hushed her.

Marlene looked around and then smiled. "Coast is clear. Let's go!"

They all walked off towards the front of the castle and stood in a short line. James stood with Lily, Sirius stood with Marlene, and Mary stood with Remus. The line went rather quickly so they were soon getting their acceptance papers examined by Professor McGonnagall. They walked down to Hogsmead with student ages ranging from thirteen to seventeen. They laughed and joked around, smiling at each other and the other couples. Each of the couples wanted to split up as soon as possible to spend some time with their significant other, but none of them wanted to admit it.


	33. Bonding

**Sixth Year**

"Just leave it there. She'll be awake soon so she'll have no problem jumping to eat it. It's been hours since she's eaten," a voice whispered and a shuffle of feet scuffed on the floors.

"She's been out for ages!" A younger voice exclaimed.

"Hush! Don't exaggerate!" The first voice hissed back.

Shuffling of feet was heard once more before a nice aroma of candy fluttered around. Another fragrance of perfume and body spray joined the air with the nice odor of chocolate frogs. Whispering voices as well as the metal of the curtain rods sliding back and forth along the metal racket that ran across the ceiling filled the air. The soft sheets that were crumpled up on the bed were a nice comfort to join the other senses that roamed around.

"Do you think she will be awake soon?" A low voice said in a hushed and gentle tone. This voice was very crisp and clear as well as soothing. It stood out from all the rest of the voices.

"That's what Madam Pomfrey said," a higher voice confirmed.

"She's never been out for this long though," another voice joined. There were so many voices it made it quite confusing.

"What did you do?" the younger voice from earlier that was scolded by the older voice growled.

"All I said was that Nick's rumors about me were right," the lower voice said quickly.

A swift gust of wind bustled past and tensions settled a bit. A brief perfume of what seemed like vanilla followed close behind.

"She really likes you and I'm not saying a small crush," the last voice that had joined said calmly.

"She doesn't stop talking about you!" the younger voice exclaimed and there was a shift of tension.

"But don't get the idea you two are going to be something right away," the higher voice grunted.

An uncomfortable pause shooed the conversation away as short breezes wafted around.

"What she means to say is that Alice doesn't like to go too fast. She may talk really fast and move around quickly, but that's just a coverup for how scared she is about moving fast. I can tell she is frightened for the future and how hastily it's arriving. She wants tried to keep up, but she just can't and she hates it. So she talks and acts hurriedly so it seems like she is keeping up fine. She doesn't want to let any of us know that she is being left behind though. That's why we try to teach her to talk slowly and listen closely. It slows her down and calms her a bit. I see right through her mask," the last voice explained and everyone fell silent. The only thing that could be heard were the shallow breaths of the speakers that surrounded the bed.

Sight came rushing along to run with the other senses that were so easily exaggerated. As Alice's eyes fluttered open, the four speakers thanked Merlin she interrupted the uneasy tension that hung dead in the air.

"You're awake!" The younger voice shouted and Alice noticed it belonged to Marlene.

"Are you okay?" The last voice asked and Alice recognized it to belong to Lily.

"You'd better have gotten rid of that ridiculous behavior you had earlier this morning because you've been asleep for hours," the higher voice grumbled and Alice saw it belonged to Mary.

Alice looked over at the last speaker that she assumed to have the lowest of all the voices.

"I brought you some chocolate frogs and cauldron cakes," Frank said shyly as he gave her the chocolate delights.

She looked among her friends and smiled. "How long have you all been here?"

"Frank has been here the whole time," Mary said as she pointed at a blushing Frank. "As soon as we got you in bed, I went to go get Lily and Marlene."

"Could I ask for better friends?" Alice asked happily and gave Mary a hug.

The Marauders came into the Hospital Wing with food and drinks as Lily groaned. "Don't they ever leave me alone?"

"Evans!" James exclaimed and came rushing over. "Alice, we brought you food and beverages as a thanks for what you did."

Alice frowned and sat up straighter. "What did I do?"

Sirius chuckled. "You helped our little friend here."

Peter waved and gave her a majority of the food.

"All I did was defend him when someone was bullying him. That's all," she shrugged, but took the food anyway. She was so hungry.

"Still, we thank you." James nodded as he gave her the remainder of the food.

Alice looked at the four friends that surrounded her bed and gave them all food. Some took it greedily and others took it reluctantly.

"That's weird," Lily murmured as she took some bread and James looked down.

"What's wrong Evans?"

Lily looked up at the Marauders and sighed. "This odd sudden burst of gratitude. All that happened this morning! Plus you're acting like she saved your life!"

James rolled his eyes. "We were going to give her the food while she was in the library, but we heard from some other students that she had been taken to the Hospital Wing. We decided she would be hungry after such a nap so we waited until after she was awake."

"And I'm grateful," Alice said, raising her voice a little before Lily could say anything else.

"Well, it's the least we could do in return for helping Peter stay out of the bed you're lying in now," Sirius said as nicely as possible.

"Are you okay, by the way? I hope the bump on the way down didn't hurt too much," Remus asked.

Alice looked at the boys and then at Frank. "I'm okay. Actually more than okay, I'm great! If it wasn't for Frank, I would have a massive headache and a detention from the librarian for not putting my books away..."

Remus smiled at Frank. "That's great luck!"

She nodded and shoved a piece of food in her mouth.

"Well anyway, we should get you out of this hospital bed so we can get back to more important things," Mary said and gobbled down the small sandwich she was given.

Frank looked out the window and noticed it was getting dark. "Oh Merlin! Alice, I'm so sorry I have to leave you after such a fall, but I have to go return the books that are in my dorm! The librarian will kill me if she finds out I'm holding some Defense Against the Dark Arts books hostage in my dorm! Please forgive me!"

"Well, hurry! I don't want you to get in trouble," Alice said and pushed Frank away.

"You've never said that whenever we do something against the rules," Mary mumbled.

Lily just laughed as she got up. "I'll go see if Madam Pomfrey will let you go."

"I'll come with!" James exclaimed and Lily sighed.

"I don't need help, Potter," she hissed.

"I'm not helping I just want to come with. That's all," he argued.

Sirius sat on the end of the bed as Remus took Frank's chair and Peter pulled up another chair.

Even though none of them knew it, the group of friends that surrounded each other at that moment would become great friends. Some friendships would die in a fire while others would become legendary. At least they made their time last as much as possible.


	34. Splitting Up

**Seventh Year**

"Hey guys! We're going to head off. We want some time to ourselves so we can talk and do stuff like that..." Marlene said in between fits of laughter. Sirius pulled her away and the ran into a store nearby.

"They just want to snog. That's all," Mary whispered and everyone laughed because they knew it was true.

Mary looked at Remus and started talking to him about the bookstore nearby. They both loved books and loved sharing their love for books so they rushed off to the store without saying goodbye to James and Lily.

"Where are you guys going?" Lily shouted in desperation. She didn't want to be left alone with James, but they did anyway.

"Looks like it's just us," James said with a glistening smile and they walked into the nearest store.

When they entered, a crowd of many people welcomed them in and squished them in between shelves and isles. They tried to get to the back of the store where not many people were, but the crowd kept shifting to make breathing impossible. Lily gave up first and pushed her way out of the shop to wait for James. He wasn't coming anytime soon so she sat on the bench in front of the store.

"Lily!" A familiar voice shrieked and Lily looked up to find Alice and Frank.

"Alice! Frank!" Lily shrieked back and she pulled Alice into a hug. "How's the date?"

Afraid of saying something stupid, Alice looked at her good looking date and he smiled. "It's going very well! We are having so much fun," he said and Alice nodded her head fiercely to agree.

"That's great! What have you two done so far?" She asked and Alice opened her mouth until Frank started talking again.

"Well, we went on a walk to talk about polka dots on clothes... We played hopscotch, a muggle game, with a couple of third years... We visited a couple of stores and saw friends... Then we were going in here, but it looks awfully full," he said and Lily nodded.

"It's so packed, I lost James in there," she said.

Frank gave her a weird look. "James? James Potter? I thought you hated him," he said matter-of-factly.

"We are friends, but he wouldn't shut up about this date. I felt bad because he and I would be the only ones in the group not going. Peter even has a date! They are eating though."

"Food! I am hungry and I think we should eat," Frank said and Alice laughed as he pawed at his stomach helplessly.

"That sounds great! We'll see you later, Lily! Have fun," Alice exclaimed and the couple walked into the building a few feet away. Lily waved, but was alone again. She wanted James to leave the store so they could eat also. She was starving. She sat back down on the bench and preoccupied herself with drawing in the dirt with a stick.

"Lily? Lily Evans?" A strange voice called and she looked up to see an unfamiliar face. She thought it was just her, but in her opinion, this guy sounded oddly like he was from New York.

_Note from me:_

_So I got a review from a reader saying that they were confused about the year skips and I must agree, I go back and forth a lot! To make it clear for everyone, new readers and old, I added the year the characters are in at the top of the page. I have to admit that it's a whole lot easier adding the years at the top. If you don't like it, tell me in a review and tell me why! If you do like it, tell me and why, of course. I did update a lot of chapters and add in a lot of new little quips so you might have to reread chapters to get those small adjustments. I didn't change anything big or important to the chapters so if you don't reread, you won't be missing anything. I'm still so sorry about the long breaks in between chapters! I'm going to keep the story going throughout the year though so I have something to do on the weekends. I'm probably going to update on Saturdays and Sundays so be sure to check then. Remember to review! _

_Cheerio!_


	35. Boys, Boys, Boys!

**Sixth Year**

Lily popped open a bottle of firewhiskey as she filled the glasses with a laugh. She sat cross legged on the floor with the other girls around her. "Frank and Alice, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes a baby in a baby carriage!"

Alice hid her flushing face. "Oh, sod off, Lily!"

"But it's all true! It's gonna happen!" Marlene shouted.

Mary chuckled at her friends as she downed her drink. "It was so obvious though."

"What about Frank? It was hard to tell that he liked her though," Lily asked.

"Nope. He always stared at her and gave her... 'The look'." Mary replied.

Marlene's face scrunched up in confusion and raised an eyebrow. "'The look'?"

Mary nodded. "'The look'."

"What's 'the look'?" Lily asked impatiently.

"'The look' is the way one person looks at another when they're in love." Mary explained. "Frank was constantly looking at Alice that way."

"Love hardly says it though. We talked more today than we have all year. How would he love me in such a short amount of time?" Alice shrugged.

Mary rolled her eyes. "How am I supposed to know? Go ask him yourself!"

Alice shook her head as her face burned bright red. "No!" She shouted sheepishly.

Lily took a sip of her drink and smiled at Marlene. "What about you and Sirius, eh?"

"When did you turn into a Canadian?" Marlene growled and looked away.

Lily knew exactly what it meant when Marlene got defensive so she laughed and winked at Alice and Mary.

"I think we should all bring up the fact that Mary was flirting with a seventh year earlier," Alice muttered and Lily's eyes widened.

"What?" Marlene exclaimed as she turned to face a smiling Mary.

"Shut up, Alice! We weren't flirting! We were simply talking," Mary answered coolly.

"In a flirtatious manner," Alice whispered before Mary tackled her.

Lily laughed. "I think we all know what this means!"

Mary stopped punching Alice to look up fearfully. "What does it mean?"

Marlene grinned mischievously, looking at Lily. "MARY AND-"

"JOHNNY!" Alice shouted.

"SITTIN' IN A TREE!" Lily joined in. Mary groaned as she rolled onto her back.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" They all sang together and drank the rest of their drinks.

Alice laughed as she gave Mary a thumbs up. "Johnny is a cutie!"

"Merlin, you're all mad!" Mary shouted, face flat on the floor.

Lily shrugged dismissively as if she already knew. "You know us."

"I think it's time..." Marlene mumbled, glancing at Lily quickly.

Alice giggled as she caught on. "Oh, it's more than time."

Mary got up from the floor and laughed. "Let's get it going then."

"What? What!" Lily shouted as she looked at all the faces of her friends.

They all took a deep breath before looking at Lily. "LILY AND JAMES, SITTIN' IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MARRIAGE! THEN COMES A BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE! THAT'S NOT ALL! THAT'S NOT ALL! DADDY'S IN THE KITCHEN, MOMMY'S IN THE HALL. BABY'S IN THE BATHROOM, DRAWING ON THE WALL!"

Lily glared at them with flared nostrils. "You are all immature. Potter and I will remain friends."

"Oh don't be a buzz kill, Lils," Marlene said.

Alice laughed, nudging Lily. "Come on, Lily. It's going to happen at one time or another."

Lily sneered at all of them before sipping her drink. "Oh hush. I don't even fancy him in the slightest."

Marlene laughed and raised her glass. "I think it's time for a toast!"

Lily filled up their glasses reluctantly as she raised hers. "To Marlene for getting Sirius to think about an actual relationship rather than just shagging in some random broom closet somewhere."

Marlene glared at her before Mary put her glass in the air.

"To Alice for talking to Frank for more than five seconds before passing out!" Mary exclaimed and Alice nodded confidently.

"To Mary for finally talking to a boy at all. Johnny is going to be great for you," Alice said simply as Mary grinned back.

"To Lily for finally giving into James's charm-"

"Um, excuse you. I most certainly did _not _give into James's dumb charm."

"OI! This is _my _toast! Not yours! You had your turn! I can make my toast whatever I want."

Lily stuck her tongue out at Marlene childishly.

"Anyway," Marlene growled. "To Lily for finally giving into James's sexiness and hotness and all that jazz."

Lily gave Marlene a look of annoyance before lifting her glass. "And to our not-lonely sixth year!"

"Oh, so you agree that you _have _given into James's charm?" Marlene interrupted.

"Shut up and toast, Marly." Lily hissed before tapping her glass to the rest of her friend's.

For a split second, the shot glasses Marlene got them during their fourth year floated there, sticking like a muggle photo. The carved names faced outward towards the girls. It was their sixth year and they were going to make the most of it. They were as close as friends could get even though they all had to put up with each other daily. Just wait, their year was only going to get better.

_Note from me:_

_Let me all tell you a tragic story of how a sad, little writer lost everything._

_Once upon a time, a short, little blonde named Lily Makissik visited her sister at college on her birthday. Lily's sister, Jane, introduced this really nice computer to Lily for her birthday, but it wasn't love at first sight. His name was Toshiba and he was an ugly jerk. Lily thought Toshiba would be useful for school and work so she reluctantly took Toshiba home with her. Used for years and years, Toshiba and Lily fell in love. They became very close and soon got serious. One day, Toshiba decided it would be smart to hang precariously on the ledge of Lily's desk. Toshiba constantly told Lily it was safe so Lily went to school, thinking Toshiba could handle himself. Now, Toshiba and Lily's cat did NOT get along in the slightest. Lily's cat's name was Pearl, but she was NOT a Pearl. She was more like a demon from the firery pits of hell. Pearl jumped up onto the desk and eyed Toshiba malevolently. Toshiba told Pearl to get down because Lily didn't like it when Pearl got up on her desk, but Pearl dismissed Toshiba's warnings. Pearl began shaking the desk and Toshiba wavered fearfully as he hung on as tight as possible. Toshiba howled and screamed for Pearl to stop, but Pearl didn't care at all. Lily strode into her room, happier than ever. She had a great day at school, a better day at rehearsal, an even better day at practice, and the best day at work. Nothing could get her down. That is, until she glanced over at a shrieking Toshiba and a cackling Pearl. Pearl spotted Lily and finished the job before Lily could save Toshiba. Pearl knocked Toshiba off the deck and scurried out of the room while Toshiba fell to his death. Lily screeched in surprise as she dove for Toshiba, but Toshiba was a goner. Lily picked up the pieces of her beloved Toshiba as she wept silently. Toshiba was dead. Lily took months to try and save Toshiba, going to every computer store __existent. Lily even got so desperate that she visited Jane's ex boyfriend, Derek. He was a computer science major and built computers for a living. She was sure he could save something of Toshiba. Derek took a look at Toshiba for a week, working diligently to try to salvage something. Derek made a call to Lily and solemnly sighed. Lily knew what that sigh meant and thanked Derek for his hard work as she took the remains of Toshiba home. Lily's birthday came around again and Lily's mother got Lily a new computer. Lily refused to have anyone but Toshiba, but Lily's mother told her she needed to move on and see other computers. Lily reluctantly used a new computer named Hunter Princeton (HP). He was so conceited and egotistical, thinking Windows 8 was the greatest program created on earth. Lily shook her head, knowing it didn't come close to all the programs Toshiba had. Hunter even thought his looks were sleek, new and modern, but Lily always loved the bumpy, old feel of Toshiba. Lily's mother told Lily if she kept comparing Toshiba to every computer she'd meet then she'd be lonely for the rest of her life. So Lily worked with Hunter, trying to see if they could have anything. She got everything she had on Toshiba onto Hunter and attempted to get along with him. Lily finally told Hunter she just wanted to be friends and Hunter beamed brighter. He realized he didn't have to show off anymore and that he could reveal his defaults. Lily and Hunter became great friends, best friends even, and they did everything together. Hunter could show his scars comfortably while Lily didn't have to wear makeup all the time. They were completely content with each other. And even though Lily and Hunter pissed each other off, Lily punched, Hunter shut down on Lily, they realized it wasn't all that bad. Lily did move on from Toshiba, yes, but she never did forget him as the days passed on. Of course, Lily never forgot what Pearl did, but Pearl did apologize and Lily smiled a little bigger. Every time she listened to Imagine Dragons, she remembered listening to them on Toshiba, dancing in her room happily. She wasn't sad Toshiba was gone. She was, instead, glad her time with Toshiba happened. Lily never forgot her first love and first computer, Toshiba. Their love was forever. _

_And now I'm crying:') But I'm not joking, Toshiba was MY computer and I could never think of the day where I would be without him. In all honesty though, Hunter is a pretty great computer. Not perfect, but pretty close! I'm typing on him now and he's being very cooperative. Hunter is just a cutie though! He drew me a picture the other day and I couldn't help but hug him. I don't know what I'd do without him. Getting to the point, I haven't been able to write at all because of the incident. My mother refers to it as 'the incident' because when Toshiba first broke, my mother would bring it up and I would burst into tears. I lost EVERYTHING. I was so lost at first, but Hunter showed me the way. I hope you all can forgive me for being the weirdest person on the earth, but hey, that's me for ya. Well, I'm going to be updating chapters way more often. Expect one or two a week since I have Hunter to help me out. Love you all for bearing with me!_

_Cheerio!_


	36. Enough is Enough

"Yes? I'm sorry... Do I know you?" She asked, getting up once again.

"Barely... We have a couple of classes together, but Marlene McKinnon knows me better. She's your friend, I believe," he said. Lily recognized the New York accent and heard Marlene's name. She assumed it must have been Tony.

"Oh? Are you looking for her? She's in our dorm, studying," Lily said with a kind smile and pointed towards the castle.

Tony looked at Lily with a strange smile, but walked closer to her with a growing glare. "Marlene isn't in her dorm, studying."

"Um... Last time I checked, she was reading a paper for Professor Slughorn. I don't know where else she'd be," Lily shrugged and sat back down on her bench.

"Liar!" Tony screamed and sprinted towards Lily, but she flipped her wand out and jumped upwards

"Stupefy!" She yelled and Tony went flying backwards.

James came waltzing out of the store full of laughs and smiles. He came out and started talking to Lily about a funny story, but immediately stopped when he saw her arm extended.

"What's going on?" He asked as he noticed Tony laying on the ground.

Lily looked at James angrily, but her mood eased and faded into weakness. Tears streaked from her eyes as she collapsed to the ground in a heap of defeat.

"No more! Enough! I can't take this any longer!" She screeched and James hustled over to her for comfort. Tony started inching away, but James flicked his wand out to freeze him.

"What do you mean, Lily?" He whispered and held her close.

"The attacks... The constant fighting... I can't do this!" She strained to say in between her sobs of sadness. James nodded and just held her closer.

"I will never leave your side again. I will always be there for you. I can't take not protecting you," he murmured in her ear and they sat there until Lily calmed a bit.

"I would like that," she muttered back. This was a big surprise because Lily never accepted help from anyone. This was the first time she let someone in.

James and Lily got up together and unfroze Tony so they could report him later. At the time, they didn't care because they were so hungry so they walked into the Hogshead for dinner. They sat in the corner, next to each other, and held hands as they discussed past events. They talked of what went wrong and how they could fix it in the future.

"Why am I so weak?" She asked after they finished talking.

"Weak? You are the brightest, strongest, prettiest, nicest, most perfect witch in the world. How can you say that when you have defeated plenty of misbehaving death eaters?" He said with his fist down. Lily giggled a bit at this.

"They are half witted," she said and he gasped.

"Trained by Voldemort! That's a big deal," he said and she smiled. She didn't want to fight about the weakness of the death eaters they had in the school so she nodded.

"Your drinks. A pop and a water," the waitress said and they thanked her. When she left, James huffed and turnedcompletely so he was looking at her.

"You don't believe me? You don't believe me! How can you argue with me? Do you hear the way Professor Slughorn talks about your skills in Potions? He says you're extraordinary! Did you hear how distraught Professor McGonnagall was in the hospital wing? Whenever I'm in the hospital wing healing from self defense, she glares at me and says she's glad I didn't start it this time," he said and hushed her when she opened her mouth for a retort. "The point is that you're so special and you can't see it. Humble, people might say. But you should use your perfection to your advantage! You're so much stronger than what you showed to Tony out there and both you and I know it. You could have hexed him into oblivion. Lily, all I'm saying is that you shouldn't ignore it."

Lily took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks, James. You really help me out when I'm sad," she said and he smiled.

"I think this calls for DESSERT!" He shouted. The waitress walked over and they ordered a slice of chocolate cake to share. James told jokes and stories while Lily dismissed the fake stories and inappropriate jokes. Which were basically all of them.

"That one was true, though!"

"Just like the last five?"

"Yes! I keep trying to tell you that!"

"Oh sod off!" She exclaimed and they started laughing until a loud shatter interrupted them.

"Dropped a plate! Sorry to startle everyone!" A girl around their age called out and everyone resumed what they were doing except Lily.

"Severus..." Lily muttered and her mood darkened greatly.


End file.
